City of Infernal High School
by MalecHerondaleCarstairs
Summary: Tessa Gray moves to London when her parents die. She meets mystical Will Herondale and his really sweet friend, Jem. What will she do when she fall in love with them both? Will include TMI and TID characters. AU/All human. Jessa/Wessa/Gabrily/Gophie/Clace/Malec/Sizzy. Rated M just to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was the first day on my new school in London. The students called it the Institute, for no apparent reason. They just did.

I went straight to class after saying good bye to my brother, without talking to anyone.

I had protested until my parents was mad at me, but they had decided. We were moving from New York, to London. Cloudy, rainy London. Yay!

_*flashback*_

"_We have something to tell you", my mother, Elizabeth, said, excited. It was my birthday, and I thought it would be something fun, like a visit to the Met. It had been my dream for years, what I wanted to do every year at my birthday, but it never happened._

"_Well, dear mother, tell us", said Nate._

_She and my father glanced at each other, and then she continued, in the same happy voice. "We're moving to London!"_

_Nate looked slightly shocked. My jaw dropped open, tears started forming in my eyes._

_*end of flashback*_

It hadn't exactly been the best birthday of my life, even visiting the Met hadn't helped.

English class started, drawing my attention away from the memory.

"So, we have a new student here today, who just transferred from New York, was it?" said the teacher. I nodded, embarrassed. "Do you mind introducing yourself?"

"Uh, I'm Tessa Gray", I said.

"Alright", said the teacher. "I'm mr Mortmain. We're reading historical fiction right now. I'll try to find a book to you, miss Gray, but for now you can read with miss Collins."

I guessed miss Collins was the girl sitting beside me. Poor girl.

"Uhm, could I read A Tale of Two Cities, mr Mortmain?" I asked.

"I don't know if there is a copy left, I'm afraid", he said.

"Oh", I said. "I have my own copy of the book."

"Bring it tomorrow, then", he said, and gestured for everyone to pick up their books and start reading.

The girl beside me picked up her book, a copy of Oliver Twist.

"You like Dickens too?" I whispered to her.

"It's definitely better than some of the other choices", said the girl with a smile. "I'm Sophie."

"Tessa. Nice to meet you."

XXX

After the class was over, Sophie decided to show me around to my classes, and I was very thankful about that.

"So, it must be hard transferring schools in the last year", said Sophie when we were on our way to lunch.

"I wasn't exactly overjoyed", I said. "Actually, my parents told me on my birthday. It was the worse birthday of my life."

Sophie laughed. "Well, I can see that it wouldn't be the best day of your life. So, do you have any family?" She blushed. "Or, of course you have a family, but …"

"My brother, Nate", I said. "My parents died in a car accident right before we were supposed to move, so for now we're living on our own in a small apartment. My aunt died a few weeks ago as well, and I have no other relatives left, except for Nate."

"Oh", said Sophie. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault", I said. "Anyway, Nate is eighteen, so he takes care of me." Well, that wasn't completely true. Nate was eighteen, yes, but he didn't take care of me. He wasn't really capable of taking care of anyone. He had gambling problems, so I more took care of him.

"Oh, well, that's good, I guess", said Sophie. "Ah, Simon! Over here!"

A nerdy-looking guy in glasses came over. "Hi Soph", he said.

Sophie smiled. "Simon meet Tessa, Tessa meet Simon."

A girl with red, curly hair came out from behind Simon. "I'm Clary", she said and stuck out her hand. I took it and shook it.

"Tessa", I said.

"Wow, you're really tall", she commented. I suppressed a smile. It could be because she was so short. I was tall, I knew, but I must've seemed very tall indeed for the short girl.

"So I've been told", I said.

"Okay, come on", said Clary. "You can sit with us. Simon is the videogame nerd with a band who changes their name every week, I'm the girl who draws all the time, and Sophie … well, Sophie's the reasonable of us."

"Then I'll be the book nerd who has her nose in a book all the time", I said and smiled.

Clary laughed. "Yeah, well, none of us are really normal. You'll fit right in."

We sat down at a table in the corner. There was already someone sitting at it – a boy with black, glittery hair and eyeliner.

"Tessa, this is Magnus", said Clary. "Magnus, this is Tessa. Don't scare her away."

"Nice to meet you", I said.

"You too", said Magnus with a big smile.

"So, you're really in a band?" I asked Simon.

"Well, sort of, yes. We don't get many gigs, but it is a band."

"And you change your name every week?"

"Unfortunately, yes", said Simon with an almost painful look on his face.

"My favorite book is from 1859", I said. "Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds."

"Well, we're called Millennium Lint now", said Simon. "It is as bad as it sounds."

"Yes, Sonny's band is really bad with names", said Magnus.

"It's Simon!" spluttered Simon.

"Okay, Tessa", said Clary. "To introduce you to our wonderful school, there are the popular kids", she pointed to a table in the middle of the room, "the ones laughing hysterically about something right now that is. The extremely hot guy with black hair and incredibly blue eyes is Will Herondale. He's a complete idiot and player, just like his brother, the guy who looks all golden. That's Jace Herondale, and, as I said, he's a lot like his idiot to brother. Then we have Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood. Gabriel is the younger of the two, the one with brown hair and green eyes, and Gideon's the older brother with blond hair and green eyes. Then we have their cousin, or something, Alec Lightwood, who, for some reason, looks a lot like Will with his black hair and blue eyes. No one really knows why. Alec is the best friend of Jace, though Will hates everyone with the surname 'Lightwood'."

Sophie smiled and continued. "Then we have the silver-looking guy, Jem Carstairs, who is the best friend of Will, though nobody, really understand why. Jem is a lot nicer than Will, probably the nicest of them. If you necessarily have to talk to anyone of them, talk to Jem. Then we have the girls. Cecily Herondale, I'm sure you can figure out who that is. She's the female version of Will. She's a little younger, and Will's very overprotective over her, so whatever you do, don't talk to her, and if you do, make sure to compliment her, and be happy you're not a guy.

"And then, lastly, Isabelle Lightwood, Alec's sister. Tall, makes all guys swoon, you know. Don't cross her, and stay out of her way. She's a female version of Jace, sort of. Player-like. And they call themselves the Shadowhunters, only God knows why."

I blinked. "Wow", I said. "You really know a lot."

"Also, Gideon and Gabriel is the most quiet of them", said Simon.

"Just stay away from the Shadowhunters, and you'll be fine", added Sophie.

"Oh, and you should stay away from Jessamine Lovelace and Tatiana Lightwood, too. No one knows why they aren't in the Shadowhunters, but they're just as popular."

XXX

Staying away from the Shadowhunters turned out to be easier said than done, maybe because I almost walked straight into Will Herondale on my way to the last class, math.

"Wow, watch where you're going", he said.

"Sorry", I muttered and attempted to continue to my class. He wasn't having it, though.

"Hey, you're the new girl, right?" he said thoughtfully.

I pursed my lips. "Yes", I said. "So?"

"You have English with me. You wanted to read A Tale of Two Cities."

I sighed inwardly, but I didn't want to satisfy him, so I stood up straight. "And?"

"You like Dickens?"

I decided to not answer that. I could feel that this moment would determine the rest of my days at the Institute.

"I don't see how my book preferences are any of your business", I said. "If you excuse me, I have to go to class."

XXX

When school was over, I said good bye to everyone and hurried home. Nate wasn't home, as expected, so I just went straight to my room to do homework. When that was finished, I picked up my copy of A Tale of Two Cities and spent the day reading.

Until I heard someone shout in the apartment next to ours, that is. The shout seemed to come very close to my room, so I shouted back to them.

"Can you please be quiet?"

It took only a moment for the reply to come. "I'm sorry, my cousin's being a jerk! I'll tell him to be nice!"

I sighed, and wondered why the voice seemed so familiar. "Well, I don't care if he's being a jerk, as long as you STOP SHOUTING!"

I heard a laugh on the other side of the wall, but no reply.

The shouting didn't stop, and the walls seemed pretty thin, so after half an hour, I went to knock on their door.

It took a while before the door opened. It was a blonde guy, who seemed very familiar.

"Well, hello there", he said. It was the guy I'd "spoken" to earlier.

There was a loud crash from inside. "Will!" yelled the blonde guy. "Please be quiet, we have a guest!"

That's when I knew who it was. Jace. Oh, great.

"Sorry 'bout that", Jace said. "It's just my very annoying cousin. Can't ever keep to his own business. Do you want to come in? Will's parents are off somewhere, so we'd be alone. Well, there's Will, of course, but we could lock the door."

He's flirting with me. He's actually flirting with me. A complete stranger.

"I just wanted to ask you to be quiet", I said firmly. "It's really quite annoying."

Jace blinked, and I understood why. He didn't seem like a guy who got blown off very often. Or someone who got blown off at all. He seemed like a guy no one, girl or boy, ever said no to.

"You're the girl from before?" he asked.

"Yes, I live next door, and I'm trying to concentrate. I'd really appreciate it if you could stop shouting at each other."

Will showed up behind Jace. "Another girl, Jace? Really?"

Then he saw me. "Wait. You're the new girl, right?"

What a genius.

"I told you, she wasn't your type, Jace."

"I just wanted to ask you to be quiet", I said, annoyed. "I have better things to do than stand here all day." I turned and walked back home.

**Sorry about the short first chapter! I'll update as soon as I can, hopefully with a longer chapter!**

**ClaceHerondaleCarstairs**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they all belong to amazing Cassandra Clare! But I do own the plot! Okay, hope you'll like this chapter!**

Will's POV

I didn't understand why I cared that Jace flirted with the new girl. He flirted with everyone, and it'd never bothered me before.

"Why do you care who I flirt with?" asked Jace, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I don't", I lied. Truth is, I didn't care about who he flirted with, as long as he didn't flirt with her. I didn't even know her name.

Jace raised one eyebrow. "Oh, really? You've never said anything about who I flirt with before. Why would you now?"

I had no answer to that.

I was saved from answering that – not that I had an answer – by Charlotte. "Boys!" she yelled. "Time to go to school!"

Jem knocked on my door. "Will? Are you coming?"

"Sure", I muttered and opened the door.

When we exited the apartment, we saw the new girl exiting the apartment next door. I sighed inwardly. The last person I wanted to meet.

"Hey, Will", said Jem. "Isn't that the new girl? Tessa, was it?"

Tessa. So that was her name. Why did she have to be named something so … nice? Couldn't she have been named something awful, like Mildred?

"Maybe", I said, pretending that I hadn't been lying awake all night, thinking about her all night.

Jace grinned. "Well, obviously", he said. "She visited yesterday. Will didn't want me to flirt with her."

I tensed. "I don't care who you flirt with!"

"As long as I don't flirt with her", he added.

"I think we should talk to her", decided Jem and called her name. Her head snapped in our direction, and I sighed inwardly.

Her cheeks was already a little red from the cold outside. Her long, dark hair was wet from the always damp air in London, and her eyes were a sort of gray-blue color, and they were wide.

"Um, hi", she said, biting her lip. It made me want to kiss them.

I shook my head, ridding myself of those thoughts.

Jem walked towards her and said something to her that I couldn't hear. She thought for a moment, then nodded. She blinked away a raindrop from her eyelashes, and looked towards me. When she noticed me staring at her, she looked away quickly and blushed. That made me satisfied, for some reason I didn't know – and I wasn't sure I wanted to know, either.

Jem said something else, and they started walking towards us. "Will, Jace, this is Tessa", he said. "Tessa, this is Jace and Will."

"Nice to meet you", she said.

We started walking.

"So, I heard you visited yesterday", said Jem.

"They", she nodded in our direction, "were shouting, and I tried to read." She bit her lip and looked away.

"Well, they yell at each other all day long", said Jem. "I don't know how we still have neighbors."

She looked at Jem and smiled. It made me jealous. I'd never been jealous. I didn't like the feeling.

"Nate's never been good at picking apartment", Tessa said. "I knew I should have come here earlier to help pick apartment."

"Who's Nate?" I asked, wanting to know who this boy was that she talked so affectionately about.

"My brother", she said.

Thank goodness. "Wait, your brother pick apartment? Doesn't the parents do that?"

She bit her lip again, looking away, but not before I saw her eyes fill with tears.

She seemed very shy, I couldn't understand shy. With that hair of hers, she must be used to guys.

"There must be a reason for that, Will", Jem said firmly, and I understood he also saw the tears.

"My parents died a few months ago", Tessa said calmly, surprising the three of us. "Nate's eighteen, so he moved here a month ago to get a job and an apartment, and I came here a few days ago."

"I'm sorry", said Jace.

She just nodded.

We walked into school.

"Tessa!" yelled a male voice, and the jealousy flared again.

She looked up, looking for whoever had called her name. When she found him, she smiled and walked towards him. I followed her gaze, and saw Magnus Bane standing waving hysterically.

I sighed, relieved. Everyone knew Magnus. He was gay, quite obviously, always wearing a lot of glitter and coloring his hair in different colors all the time. At the moment, though, his hair was back at its usual black color.

What bothered me was that Magnus was friends with another boy, who was not gay.

Tessa's POV

"Care to explain why you came to school with Will and Jace Herondale and Jem Carstairs?" asked Sophie. It was after school, I'd gone with her and Clary and Magnus and Simon to Magnus's apartment – he seemed to live alone.

I sighed. "Well, it seems they live next door to me", I said.

"They do what?" repeated Clary.

"Yep", I said.

"Okay, tell from the beginning to the end", said Magnus. "And don't leave out any details."

"Well, it started yesterday after school", I said. "I went home, did homework and decided to read. I'd read for about ten minutes before I was interrupted by loud shouting. At first, I yelled through the wall – did I mention the very thin walls? – and asked them to be quiet. I got answer from a boy, who told me he was trying to get his cousin to shut up. The shouting didn't stop, so I decided to pay a visit to my very annoying neighbors.

"Jace opened, but I didn't understand it was him at first. When he yelled for Will to be quiet, I understood it was him. After flirting with me a little, Will came down, saw me, and told Jace I wasn't his type, and that's when I said I had better things to do, and turned and walked away.

"Wait a sec", said Clary. "Jace flirted with you? Jace Herondale flirted with you?"

I nodded. "I don't think he recognized me, though. Anyway, this morning, when I was on my way to school, they were walking to school at the exact same time, and Jem asked if I wanted to go with them. I said yes, and that's that."

"Oh my God!" said Clary. "That's crazy! First Jace Herondale flirt with you, then Jem Carstairs ask you to walk with them to school! Do you understand how rare that is? They never speak with someone who isn't a Shadowhunter!"

I sighed. "Well, I wouldn't mind if I was one of those lucky people who they didn't talk to. It's never good getting involved with popular people."

"She's got a point", Simon said. "The Shadowhunters mean trouble. If they've taken an interest in her, it could be very bad."

XXX

They next day, I made sure to go to school long before necessary, so that I didn't have to go with Jem, Will and Jace again. It wasn't that they weren't nice, Jem was very sweet and stuff, but I didn't think it'd be good if I got involved with them.

That didn't help, though, because at lunch, they decided to pay me, Clary, Sophie, Simon and Magnus a visit.

"Can we sit here?" asked Will.

Clary stared at him for a moment, then said; "Sure, have a seat."

I sighed inwardly, and locked gaze with Magnus, who shrugged. Apparently, I wasn't getting any help from my friends.

"Hi, Tessa", Will said.

"Hi", I said.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Magnus asked.

"Will, this is Magnus, Simon, Clary and Sophie. Guys, this is Will."

The rest of the Shadowhunters sat down at our table, and Will introduced them, though everyone knew it was unnecessary. Everyone knew the names of the Shadowhunters.

"We missed you this morning, Tessa", said Will.

"Yeah, I went early to school. I had to finish off some homework", I lied. I hated to lie, but I didn't want to tell them I went early to school because I wanted to avoid them. No matter how bad person, that was mean, and I was not mean.

"It doesn't matter", said Will. "We can pick a time till tomorrow, so that we don't miss each other."

"Sure", I muttered.

Later that day, I was in the kitchen, looking for something to cook – Nate wasn't home, as usual – when someone knocked repeatedly on the door.

I went to open it, and froze when I saw who it was.

"Sorry to interrupt", said Jem.

"But we need you to cook something for us", said Will.

"Excuse me?"

"Charlotte and Henry are away, and Isabelle want to come cook for us. That will most certainly kill us, so we thought you could be sweet and cook for us."

"What Will is trying to say", said Jem, "is that we wonder if we could come in?"

I thought that through for a moment. "Okay", I said finally. "But I won't say anything about my cooking."

"What about your brother?" said Will hopefully.

"He's not home", I said, "and he can't cook anyway."

"Well, anything's better than Isabelle's cooking", Jace said.

I let them in, then went back to the kitchen, followed by Jem. "I could help you, if you want", he offered.

"I probably shouldn't have said anything about my cooking, should I?"

Jem smiled. "Probably not", he admitted. "Do you want help or not?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

Jem opened the fridge. "I understand now your comment on the cooking", he muttered. "You don't have much at all here."

"I came here only three day ago", I said. "And Nate's been … busy. I haven't had time."

I put on the radio we had in the kitchen, and my Disney CD started. I blushed.

"What music is this?" asked Jem.

"Disney", I said.

Before Jem could reply, Will yelled something from the living room. "Why do you have Disney Channel?" he asked.

"Because Nate paid for Disney Channel", I answered. "I haven't used that TV since months before we moved here; I don't even know all the channels we have." Well, it was the truth, though I did watch Disney Channel sometimes – when I used the television at all.

"Then why do you have one?" Jace asked, confused.

"Because Nate use it", I said.

"What kind of teen doesn't use the TV?" Will asked.

I decided not to answer that.

Jem picked out some spaghetti. "Can you cook pasta sauce?"

I rolled my eyes. "Everyone can cook pasta."

XXX

When we were almost finished, Will came into the kitchen. "I think I'm going to visit you more often", he told me. "But you don't have any games to the Wii."

"We have games, we just haven't unpacked them yet", I said.

"What games do you have?" asked Jem.

I shrugged. "Nate has a lot of games I don't know what they are, and then we have Wii sports, Just Dance and a few Sing It and some other games. I don't use it that much anymore."

"You're a really weird teen, you know that?" Will said. "Oh, and Jem. The point in coming here was so that we wouldn't have to cook, just so you know."

"It's impolite to go to someone expecting them to cook for you, and to let the lady do all the work", Jem told Will.

"I've never been polite, and will never be", said Will.

We ate in the living room, then Will decided we should play Sing It. Apparently he was very good at the game.

I went to find the moving box were we had the games, and came there with our High School Musical Sing It. It was in another moving box, which is why I brought it, because I couldn't find the right box.

"This is the only one I can find", I said and put in the CD in the Wii.

"High School Musical?" Jace said. "You like HSM?"

I heard the front door open, and I knew Nate was home. I prayed that he wouldn't come in to the living room.

"I did", I said. "Ten years ago."

"Well, I'll beat you anyway", said Will.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you", Nate said from the doorway. "Ten years ago, she was obsessed, I promise."

I couldn't help but smile. At least he wasn't drunk. "True", I admitted. "Ten years ago."

"I doubt you've forgotten the songs", Nate said.

"Well, you haven't seen me play Sing It", said Will.

"No", agreed Nate. "I'm Nate, by the way. You must be some of Tessie's friends?"

"Yes", said Jem, and Will, at the same time; "Tessie?"

Nate shrugged. "I've got some things to do", he excused himself, and went to his room.

"Well, are we going to play?" asked Will.

I gave him one microphone, and took the other one. "I'll even let you pick the song", I said. He picked High School Musical.

At the end of the song, I was leading with more than 1,000 points.

"Are you sure you don't obsess with it still?" asked Will.

"I simply don't forget a song once I've sung it", I said. "No one ever wants to play with me anymore."

"I don't understand why", muttered Will, but Jem looked delighted.

"You should play with Will more", he said. "His ego is a little bigger than necessary."

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a loud ringing. My phone.

I smiled. I knew exactly who it was. "That's your cue to leave", I said. "I have to take this."

"See you tomorrow", said Jem and smiled.

"7:45 am on the dot", added Will.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, fine", I said. The phone stopped ringing, only to start up again two seconds later.

I shut the door behind Will and picked up the phone. "Easy now, Natalie", I said. "I've only been gone for a few days."

"Way too many days, if you ask me!" my best friend, Natalie, yelled. "Why didn't you answer right away anyway?"

"I had quests", I said.

"New friends?" she said. "Or boys?"

"Some popular boys who wanted to use my cooking skills, that's all."

"You don't have any cooking skills", commented Natalie.

"Apparently more than their friend who would cook to them if I didn't", I said. "They said they'd die if she cooked."

"Sounds familiar", said Natalie, and my other friend, Ally, snorted.

"Haha, really funny", she muttered. "I'm not that bad at cooking, anyway."

"Tell us everything", said Natalie. "The school, the friends …"

"… the boys", finished Ally.

"And the girls", added Lucas.

And that's why I spent the rest of the day telling Natalie, Ally and Lucas about my new life in London.

**There! A longer chapter! And from Will's perspective, too. It will be both Jessa and Wessa in this story, but I haven't decided exactly how it will be yet. Also, should she go to New York and meet her old friends later in the story?**

**R&R, and I'll update soon!**

**MHC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters, they belong to beautiful Cassandra Clare. My dream has still not become reality (unfortunately).**

**Hope you'll enjoy the chapter guys!**

Chapter 3

**Tessa's POV**

"So, do you have any girl friends, or do you only hang out with boys now?" asked Nate at breakfast.

"That", I said, "wasn't even really my friends. They just came here and wanted me to feed them, so I fed them. End of story."

Nate grinned. "Oh, really?" he said. "You think I'll believe that?"

"It's true", I muttered. "They're annoying, they shout at each other all the time, so I can't concentrate, and why would I be friends with them?"

Nate's grin widened.

"Oh, forget it!" I exclaimed.

I checked my watch. 7:44. "Okay, I have to go", I said. "Will you be home tonight?"

Nate looked guilty. "I don't know, I don't think so", he said, and looked everywhere but at me.

I sighed. "Alright, see you tomorrow, then", I said. Actually, I wasn't sure I was going to. He barely ever was home, and when he were, it was between 11:00 pm and 5:15 am. I hated the friends he'd gotten when he moved here, but I didn't say anything. I had to be careful of what I said nowadays when I was with Nate. He could easily snap, and that never turned out well.

"See you", he replied.

The same second I opened my door, Will opened his.

I sighed again. I was feeling sad, and it was not a day I wanted to have to deal with the Shadowhunters – why did they call themselves that? It didn't make sense.

Will smiled at me. "Hi, Tess", he said.

He'd started calling me nicknames, too? Oh dear, this will end badly.

"Hi", I muttered. I was in a bad mood, and I didn't have patience to pretend happy to see him.

"Wow", said Will. "You seem … down. What's happened?"

"Nothing", I lied. I didn't know how this boy could have such a bad effect on me. When he was close, I didn't recognize myself. I was like a whole different person.

Will didn't seem to believe me, but Jem saved me from answering. "Good morning, Tessa", he said.

I smiled wistfully. It was the best I could manage at the time. "Hello, Jem."

Jem seemed to realize something was up as well, but he was nice enough to not mention it. "Did you have a good night after we left?" he asked instead.

I shrugged. "It was like any night."

"Who called you?" Will inquired.

"Natalie, Ally and Luke", I answered, not thinking that he didn't have a clue who they were.

"Who?"

"My friends from New York", I said.

We were quiet the rest of the way to school.

XXX

"What's up?" Sophie asked at lunch. "You seem … sad."

"It's nothing", I said. "Just … homesick. It'll wear off."

She dropped the topic when the Shadowhunters sat down at our table again.

**Will's POV**

"Why do you insist upon us sitting with them?" Gabriel asked after lunch.

"It's none of your business, Lightworm", I snarled. I wasn't in the mood of questions right then; I was busy worrying about Tessa. She seemed to be sad, and I didn't want her to be sad. I don't know where that instinct came from, but I wanted to hurt anyone who made her sad.

She hadn't answered any of my questions that morning, and when she smiled at Jem, it looked unhappy and wistful. She hadn't talked at all that morning, unless to answer a question, and then at lunch, she hadn't said anything unless someone spoke directly to her.

I planned on talking to her after lunch, but I was busied with the rest of the gang.

"Lightwood", Gabriel corrected automatically. "And honestly, since we have to sit with some nerds, yes, it is my business."

I looked at Jem for support. He lifted his hands. "Don't look at me", he said. "I'm not siding with either of you."

"You're supposed to be my friend", I said.

"Well, just tell us why you want to sit with them, and we'll get off your back", Isabelle said, bored.

"Oh, c'mon!" exclaimed Jace. "Isn't it obvious? It's because of that new girl, Tessa."

I shot Jace a murdering glance, but he ignored it.

"Tessa?" repeated Isabelle, suddenly interested. "That tall grey-eyed girl? What's so interesting in her? She's so … dull."

I tried to keep my calm. It would do no good to tell them to back off, that Tessa was not dull at all, and that her eyes was grey-blue, not grey.

"You're just jealous that Will's interested in her, but never was interested in you", Jace teased.

"I'm not jealous", she spluttered. "I just don't understand what the big deal is."

"Well, I can't say I do, either", said Jace. "She is actually pretty boring."

"You're just mad because she didn't react when you flirted with her", I said.

"You flirted with her?" Alec asked incredulously.

"What's the big deal, Alec?" Isabelle asked. "He flirts with everyone."

**Tessa's POV**

When school was over, I hurried to get my things from my locker and get to town. I needed to buy a birthday gift to Ally. Her birthday was in two weeks, and I had to get the perfect gift. You don't get eighteen every year.

I took a cab to town, then I walked around for almost twenty minutes to find the right store.

I needed to go to a bookstore, and find a scrapbook – Ally loved scrapbooking, to save her memories – and then I needed to find a supermarket.

Then I saw someone I really didn't want to meet.

One of Nate's friends.

I reacted fast, and turned to go into nearest shop, but he'd already seen me.

"Hey, Tessie!" he said and walked up to me. "How're you doing?"

"Fine", I muttered.

He grabbed my wrist. "You might have to elaborate that a little", he said.

I pulled at my wrist. "Let go of me", I said, trying to keep calm.

He laughed. "No", he said. "Now, answer the question."

I pulled harder. "Let me go."

He just continued laughing. Then his head snapped in another direction. He turned around suddenly, and I heard my wrist snap.

I heard footsteps coming towards me, but I ignored them. I closed my eyes to stop the tears from coming, not succeeding.

"Are you alright?" asked a soft voice.

I opened my eyes.

Jem took my hand gently. "Here, let me see." I grimaced at the pain. "I'm sorry", he said.

He examined my wrist. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

I sighed inwardly, but realized I needed my wrist checked on, so I nodded. He led me to his car.

"So", said Jem when we were on our way. "Will you tell me who that was?"

I sighed, loudly this time, but I knew I sort of owed him, so I told him. "One of my brother's friends", I said.

"Not a very nice friend, is it?" said Jem with a sideways glance at me.

"Well", I said. "Nate was a nice guy in New York. He was going to school, had nice friends and that stuff. Then mom and dad died, and he changed, and when he moved to London, he started hanging out with bad people."

"And you meet them?"

"He brought them home once", I said. "They were there when I arrived. It wasn't much, but … yeah. He's barely home anymore."

"So he doesn't take care of you?" guessed Jem.

"Not so much, no", I admitted.

"But you're not eighteen", said Jem. "You can't take care of yourself."

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go", I said. "I don't have other relatives. At least I have somewhere to live."

"That's not all there is", said Jem. "You could live with us."

I stared at him for a long moment.

"I mean, until things get better", he explained. "So that you don't have to live alone. Charlotte and Henry wouldn't mind."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Unless you want to live alone?"

I shook my head. "Well, no. I don't want that."

"It won't make much difference living in the same house as Will and Jace", said Jem. "I think. You must hear their shouting pretty clearly, right?"

"Yep", I said.

Jem parked the car, and then helped me out of the car, careful not to touch my injured wrist.

I got the wrist x-rayed, and then bandaged. When they asked me how I'd broken my wrist, I said it was some random guy who'd done it. I said I didn't know who he was, and that I'd never met him before. Jem looked a little concerned when I said this, but he didn't say anything.

Then I was sent home with a few painkillers for the pain.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Jem asked.

I shrugged. "It's better now", I said. "But … well, it's a broken wrist. I think it ought to hurt."

"Are you okay?"

"I've been better", I said wistfully.

He suddenly seemed to realize something. "Is that why you were so … sad this morning?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I miss Nate – the way he was before – and I miss always having my big brother to take care of me when I was sad. He always helped me when something happened, and he never told anyone unless I asked him to. He was, in a way, my best friend, someone I could always rely on. Now he's just not." I paused. "But, he lost his parents, and had to replace them."

"You lost them too", said Jem.

"Well, yes, but I still had Nate to take care of me. He didn't have a big brother to take care of everything."

"I don't think that matters", said Jem. "You lost your parents, and then you lost your brother, in a way. That's not easy."

I smiled wistfully. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this", I said. "I've never told anyone this before, not even my closest friends." I didn't know why I told Jem these things, but I was tired of keeping it inside, and it felt like if I could trust anyone to keep my secret, it was Jem.

"Of course", he said. "I won't say a word."

"Thank you", I said.

We were quiet the rest of the way back.

When we arrived, Jem helped me out of the car, and led me into the house. "Oh, what were you doing in town, by the way?" he asked.

I had to think about that for a moment. "I was looking for a gift for my friend, Ally. Her birthday's in two weeks and I want to get it over with as soon as possible. Plus, I needed to buy more books. I've already read the ones I have six times each, or something." I blushed.

"I could take you some day, if you want", he offered.

I hesitated for only a moment. "If you can help me find a bookstore, that'd be great", I said and smiled. "I looked for one for almost twenty minutes, and still haven't found one."

Jem laughed. "I could do that", he said.

"Thank you, again", I said. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there."

"Walked to the hospital?" he suggested.

"Well, it would've taken half a year, at least, given thought of my sense of direction", I said.

A woman came out into the hallway. "Oh, hi, Jem", she said.

"Hi, Charlotte", he said. "Oh, Tessa, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, this is Tessa. She wondered if she could stay here for a while? She has some trouble at home." He didn't say anything about my brother, which I was thankful for. It seemed he was going to keep his promise.

"Oh", Charlotte said. "Well, if it's okay for your parents, of course."

I bit my lip and stared at the floor.

"Anyway, I need to fix a few things, I'll be back before dinner. You can show her to the guest room."

"Sure", said Jem. "Come on, Tessa." He walked upstairs, and I followed him. We walked through a dimly lit corridor, and Jem pointed out the bathroom. Then he stopped and opened the door to a light room. On one side of the room was an enormous window, and the tapestries was a light gray color. All the furniture was white, and the room was very light overall.

Beside one wall was a large bed with a canopy. I stared wide-eyed at the bed. The bed in the guest room was bigger than my own bed, in my own home.

Jem laughed at my expression. "Yeah, I know. It's a little too much for a guest room, but Charlotte insisted upon making it comfortable and … well, you see the result."

On the opposite wall to the bed was a very large bookshelf, filled with books.

"Are you sure this is the guest room?" I asked, and had to restrain myself from running to the bookshelf.

"Yep", he said. "This is it."

I couldn't restrain myself anymore, and went to look at the books. It was mostly poetry and old fiction books, authors like Dickens, Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters, Coleridge, and some other of my favorites.

"I will never go home again", I murmured, staring happily at the bookshelf.

Jem laughed. "We have more books in the library."

I turned to him, wide-eyed. "The library?"

"Yes, it's not like a big library, but it is a room full of bookshelves filled with books."

"Oh my God", I said. "I will never leave this house."

Jem smiled. "Well, we have mostly old books and poetry, but …"

"That", I interrupted, "means I only need to find a gift for Ally."

"Come on", said Jem. "I'll show you there."

And so he did. The library was not far from the guest room. When he opened the door, I couldn't help but run to the nearest bookshelf with a happy squeal.

Jem laughed again, and said; "I'll leave you here." Then I heard the door close.

I watched the books, squealing every now and then when I saw one I liked particularly much – Dickens, Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters – and didn't even notice someone walking up behind me until he put his hand on my arm.

I jumped. "Good God, you gave me the fright", I told Will.

Will smiled. "What are you doing here?" he asked me.

I sighed. "I'm staying here", I said, "for a few weeks, or something."

Will frowned.

I hadn't really thought about it much, but he really had the most beautiful eyes. They were like a mixture of blue and violet, unlike any color I'd seen before. Extraordinary.

I almost sighed loudly. What did I care about whether he had blue eyes or blue-violet eyes? It was none of my business anyway.

His hair fell into his eyes, and I literally had to push my nails into my palms to stop myself from reaching out and push it away. It hurt, but it helped me come back to reality.

"Why are you staying here?" Will asked, almost making me jump again. I couldn't let him get to me like that. It would drive me mad, and for nothing. Will was a popular boy, a player. I didn't care for a second to be his fling, a game, or whatever. I wasn't that kind of girl.

"That's not really any of your business, is it?" I said.

"Since I'm living here, I think it is", said Will.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you, anyway. It doesn't matter", I said. I really didn't feel like telling Will about the situation with my brother and his friends. Not that he would care about it – actually I had no idea why he kept asking me these things. He didn't care about me, did he? I was just the new girl to him, nothing more.

I heard someone call his name downstairs, but I didn't know who it was. I didn't recognize the voice, but it was a male.

"I'll be right there!" said Will. Then he turned to me again. "What was it this morning?" he asked. "You seemed sad. Something'd happened. And what's happened with your wrist?"

I almost told him then. He looked so honest that I almost told him, but then I remembered that it was Will. "It's nothing", I said. "It doesn't matter anyway." I turned back to the books, expecting him to give up and go to whoever had called for him.

Apparently, he was a lot more stubborn than I expected. "I won't give up", he muttered. "I know there's something going on. You'll tell me sooner or later."

I didn't answer. I kept my gaze at the book I was holding – Wuthering Heights – and a few moments later, I heard the door close behind me.

I sighed of relief. His presence was tiring. I didn't know why I wanted to do those things, those stupid things, and I didn't want to think of his lips as nice, alluring and kissable. I didn't want to notice his eye's extraordinary color. I didn't want to care that he was friends with a very attractive girl. I didn't want to notice that he was attractive. It would end very badly.

XXX

At dinner, I met Charlotte – their adoptive mother, I was told – and her husband, Henry. Then it was Jem and Will and me. When I asked why Jace wasn't there, they told me that he'd only been visiting for a few days, but that he lived with the Lightwoods – Alec and Isabelle and their little brother Max and their parents, Maryse and Robert.

I just nodded and pretended to be interested in it, but truth to be told, when they started on the gossip, I let my mind float away, and didn't hear much after that. Gossip was not my thing – I hated it. And, I thought it was completely pointless.

**Okay, that was the third chapter, everyone! Also – it's longer! 2989 words, not counting the A/N. I'll try to update at least once a week now, but school start soon, and I won't promise I can keep that. And this was from the beginning supposed to be a Jessa chapter, but I added some Wessa in the end.**

**R&R, and thank you for reading!**

**- MHC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I'm going to start to answer reviews by writing the answer in the A/N, so I'll start now. Here comes my answers:**

**SilverCarstairs: Thank you! Here is chapter 4, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they belong to Cassandra Clare, but I do own the plot.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Living with Will and Jem and Charlotte and Henry was not like anything I'd ever had before. I could never have imagined it.

Firstly, Jem and Will acted like they were actually brothers – though I knew for a fact they weren't – but without the fighting that siblings always did.

Secondly, there was something about the odd family, the way they acted and talked to each other and treated each other. It was so different from the way it had been in my family, I was left shocked.

Thirdly, they actually treated me like part of the family. Charlotte acted almost like a mother. It made me miss my own mother terribly sometimes, but in the same time, it was nice.

Will and Jem didn't particularly treat me any different, and I was starting to get rather distressed by Will's … by the way he acted around me. It was confusing.

And all this, I noticed at breakfast.

After showering and dressing quickly, I met Will in the corridor on my way to breakfast. He grinned at me. "Feeling better today?"

I knew it was yet another of his attempts to get me to tell him what'd been wrong the day before, but I didn't fall for it. "Oh, I'm feeling well", I said calmly. "And you?"

Clearly annoyed, he'd muttered "Fine", and disappeared downstairs.

I followed him, and there, already at the breakfast table, was Jem and Henry, waiting.

Jem smiled at me. "Good morning, Tessa", he said. "Did you sleep well?"

The question made me blush, for some reason, and I looked down at my plate. "Great", I mumbled to my plate.

The breakfast went on a lot like that, and I was quiet most of the time. I had a lot of things to think about.

After breakfast, Will, Jem and I walked to school. Jem tried to small talk with me, and I tried to talk back lightly, though I still had I lot on my mind. They both seemed to notice, but thankfully, none of them mentioned it.

Then we arrived at school. "Tessa!" yelled Sophie. "Over here!"

I walked up to them. "Hi guys", I said and smiled.

"Are you making it habit to go with Jem and Will to school?" asked Clary. "Because that would be … I don't even know! It would be so weird, but cool at the same time, and …"

"Well, it would be very awkward if I didn't", I interrupted. "I live with them." Then I regretted it. Now they'll ask me about it.

As predicted, Magnus, Clary, Sophie and Simon's eyes went very wide. Magnus was the first to recover from the shock. "You live with them? I thought you lived next door to them." There was confusion in his voice, as well as his eyes.

"Until yesterday", I admitted, unwillingly. "But … It's complicated."

Sophie almost looked a little hurt. "You can trust us, Tessa", she said gravelly. "You know we wouldn't tell anyone."

I sighed, and thought of it for a moment. I didn't want to hurt Sophie – she'd been nothing but kind to me since I came to the Institute. Lying to her seemed like a bad way of repaying her. Still, I didn't want them to know about my brother – I was ashamed, and I didn't want them to pity me.

"Alright", I said, after a moment's hesitation. "I'll tell you. But not here, and certainly not now."

"Lunch?" Clary suggested.

I shook my head violently. "No, not a chance", I said. "Not in front of the Shadowhunters." I thought about it for a moment. "I'll tell you after school. We'll go home to Magnus – if that's okay for you, Magnus – and I'll tell you then. But you must promise not to tell a soul about it."

"Of course", said Simon. "We won't tell anyone."

"Okay", I said. "I'll see you guys later." I walked with Sophie to the class.

"Is it the reason why you were so sad yesterday?" she inquired when we were alone.

"Yes", I said. "It … It is quite complicated, and if you don't mind waiting till this afternoon, and I'll tell you everything."

"Yes, of course", she said. "I'm sorry." Even though she had no idea what to be sorry about.

I had to blink away a few tears. I was touched that Sophie, someone whom I'd known for only a few days, was honestly sorry about something that hurt me – and something she didn't even know what it was, at that.

"Thank you, Sophie", I said. "It means a lot to me."

XXX

After school, we went to Magnus's place.

"Okay, what is going on?" Clary asked me when we were all in the living room.

"What do you want to know?" I said, with a quiet sigh.

"Why do you live with Will and Jem?" Sophie said.

"Well, that is the end of the story", I said. "Can I tell it from the beginning?" Everyone nodded, so I started telling. "Okay, so my parents died in a car accident a little while ago, and my older brother Nate reacted, um, badly, to it. He changed, did stupid things, you know, that kind of stuff. Then he moved to London to get a job a house for us to live in, and met bad people, and … Now he's barely home anymore. That's why I was in a bad mood yesterday. Then when I went to town yesterday, I met one of his friends, and he recognized me, and …" I paused, trying to figure out how to put it without making it sound crazy. "He was … violent." I raised my broken wrist, and knew they understood. They'd been almost dying of curiosity of what had happened to my wrist. "Jem saw what happened, and he took me to the hospital, and I had to tell him about Nate. He didn't think I should live alone since I'm not eighteen yet, so he offered me to borrow their guestroom until things get better at home, and … Well, I don't enjoy living basically alone and having to act an adult and take care of my brother when he even shows up at home, so I said yes."

It was quiet for a few moments, and I realized it was a lot to take in.

"I'm sorry", Sophie said finally in a soft voice.

"Thanks", I murmured. "So, that's why my wrist is broken, and that's why I live with Will and Jem."

"Well, how is it living with them?" asked Clary.

"Well, horrible", I said. "But at least Jace isn't there anymore, so it's quieter than it was before, now that there isn't any screaming and yelling and stuff. But Jem's actually nice to me. Oh, and they have a library, and you should see the guest room. I mean, the bed's bigger and softer than my bed is, and it's not a bed in a guest room. It's weird, but I don't mind, and I love the library! They have Dickens!" I trailed off when I realized how bad that sounded. Very nerdy. Then again, everyone here was kind of nerdy, except maybe Magnus, and that stopped me from blushing.

"Sounds great", said Sophie, a little sarcastically, and we burst out laughing.

"I don't get how you can get so thrilled by books", said Simon. "It's … odd."

"Yeah", agreed Magnus. "Very."

We fell silent.

"We should do something", said Clary. "Something fun. Not sit around here in silence."

"I know!" Magnus jumped up from the floor, where he'd been sitting. "I can give you all make-up!" We groaned in unison. "I'll even do it for free!"

We tried to convince him it wasn't necessary – we didn't love glitter as much as he did, and really didn't need glittery make-up – but it was impossible. He had decided. Even Simon, poor Simon, couldn't do anything to scape make-up.

He started with me, since I was new and had never had make-up by Magnus before.

"Magnus, it really isn't necessary", I said for the thousandth time. "I have my own make-up, and I'm already wearing make-up today."

"Oh, no", said Magnus. "Don't think I don't know what you're all trying to do. You don't want to be glittery. It won't help, I've decided. We're doing this. Oh, and I mean you, too, Stephan."

"Simon!" spluttered Simon. "It's Simon, not Stephan!"

Magnus just waved it off. "Whatever."

I had no other choice than to let Magnus do it.

He was finished in record-time, and I asked him if he hadn't used magic to fix it. He just laughed it off.

"There", he said. "Not so bad. A little more glitter, maybe, but I need to save my glitter. Can't waste it on anyone – no pun intended."

"None taken", I mutter. I was busy staring at my own reflection. I didn't even look slightly like myself. I looked like a glittery cupcake with the face of a young girl. Seriously. There was glitter everywhere, even in my hair. It was either a cupcake, or a very starry, colorful night sky.

Sophie and Clary wasn't better. They looked like me, but Clary with red hair, which just added to the colorful effect.

Simon was lucky. At least a little. He didn't glitter quite as much as us, but he did glitter. He barely looked recognizable.

"See", said Magnus when he was finished. "It's not that bad."

I looked wistfully at myself in the mirror again. "I would hardly say that", I said. "I don't look like myself anymore."

"Oh, shut up", said Magnus. "Here, give me your phone. I have to photo you and put it on Facebook, oh, and text your friends."

I shook my head. "Not a chance", I said, but when Magnus started attacking me to get my phone, I lost pretty soon, and he took photos of us all and posted on Facebook, and then sent the pictures of me to everyone on my contact-list.

"I'm going to kill you later", I announced when I got a text from Lucas wondering who had possessed his friend.

"I'll help you with that", said Clary. "When is later?"

"If I say that, Magnus can be prepared, and then it's never going to work. We have to wait until he's unprepared."

Clary smiled, but Magnus seemed unfazed by the threat. "Oh, yeah, you'll strangle me slowly in my sleep et cetera, et cetera. Save your breath."

XXX

A little while later, I had to get back to my now-home – it felt weird calling Will and Jem's home "home". Since I really had a terrible sense of direction, Magnus gave me a ride, while the others walked home. It was very embarrassing, but what could I do? I couldn't even find a bookstore.

It was almost 6 o'clock when I arrived, and I barely had time to go up to the guest room and drop off my bag and books before dinner.

This dinner, people talked more to me. Especially Jem and Will.

"So, where have you been all day?" Will asked, and I nearly choked on my water. What did he care what I did, I wondered, but I didn't say that aloud. It didn't seem smart.

"Oh, just with a few friends", I said.

Jem raised his eyebrows. "Did those friends include Magnus?" he asked, and looked pretty amused. I guessed everyone knew of Magnus's liking for glitter.

"Yeah", I muttered, cursing Magnus and his glitter quietly. "I don't look like me anymore."

"That's to expect of Magnus", Will said, and he had this particular tone when he said it, that made me angry.

"Everyone's different", I muttered. "If he wants to like glitter, he can like glitter." Will looked shocked, and opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and shut it again. Jem just looked amused.

"I'm starting to like you more and more, Tessa", he said, and I blushed and stared at my plate. I don't know why I reacted so weird; it was obvious it was meant as a joke, possibly to annoy Will a bit. So why did I act as if it meant something?

After dinner, I decided to do some homework, and when I was finished, I grabbed A Tale of Two Cities and went to the library. I always liked being in a library, it gave me some sort of confusing peace. It always helped me think.

I was half through the sixth chapter when someone put his hand on my shoulder. I jumped – I hadn't even heard the door open and close – and nearly dropped the book.

Jem smiled at me. "Sorry", he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I took a deep breath to calm my raising heart down, and then I smiled back at him. "It's fine, really", I said. "I'm just so concentrated when I read."

"Yeah, I noticed", said Jem. "It was like you were in a whole different world."

"Well, I was", I said. "I mean, when you read, you're in a completely different world. That's the best thing about reading. You can just disappear into the world in the book, forget about the real world for a moment." I broke off, realizing that I sounded really nerdy.

Jem smiled, that brilliant smile that almost forced you to smile back. It was infectious. "It sounds amazing", he said. "I guess I've never really thought of it like that."

I blushed.

"Anyway", he said. "I wondered if you would like to get to town tomorrow. You said you wanted to get it over with soon, so I thought …"

"That sounds great", I said, calmly, but inside, I was yelling happily. I was happy that he'd remembered, and that we'd have the whole afternoon tomorrow by ourselves. Well, in town, but still. It made my insides feel warm and weird.

**And that was chapter 4! Things are starting to get complicated.**

**Okay, I have two questions for you. Firstly, do you think I should start with Jessa or Wessa. I've decided I will have a little of both in this, and I want your opinions as of which should be first.**

**Secondly, should Tessa go to New York to meet with her "old" friends?**

**That was that for today. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**MHC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Chapter 5

"You're happier than usual", Will noted at breakfast. "Did I miss something?"

I shook my head. For some reason I didn't feel like telling Will about me and Jem and town. I didn't want him to want to come along—I wanted to be alone with Jem, which scared me. I'd never wanted to be alone with a boy before, and I didn't know how to approach it.

"Nothing", I told Will.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? Because I've never seen you happy before, not really."

I shrugged. "Maybe it is because I'm getting used to the rain. Is it ever sunny in London? Because otherwise, I think I'm going to visit my friends in New York more often."

Jem smiled. "Sometimes", he said. "But only once a month, or something, so you'd better get used to it."

Will sighed. "Why are we talking about the weather? We were talking about you, Tess, if I recall correctly."

I was saved from answering that by my phone. I hurried out of the kitchen to answer. "Hello?"

"Hi, Nelly", said Luke. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Actually, you did, and I could kiss you for that", I told him seriously.

"Oh, no, don't do that. We don't want to make anyone jealous…" He trailed off.

I immediately caught on that thread. "Oh, what's going on between you and Ally, anyway?"

"Uh, nothing", Luke said innocently, but he didn't have me fooled.

"Oh, yeah, something's going on between the two of you", I said. "Just … Do you like her?"

Luke sighed, and hesitated for a moment. "Yes, I really do. I think I might be in love with her."

I smiled. I couldn't help it. I'd always shipped the two of them, since Ally came new to the school and Luke was so fast in telling her she could hang out with us. "Okay", I said. "I ship you guys anyway. But, remember when she was new, and you were all nerdy and said she could sit with us, if she wanted, of course, and she was all like …"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Luke interrupted. "You don't need to remind me. Anyway, I have to go to school soon, I just needed to fix a thing with you. I and Natalie got an idea to birthday present to Ally, but we'll need your help. You're good with books and stuff. We thought we would give her a professional camera, which we will split, if you get her a scrapbook. From everyone, you know? So she can save everything. Are you in it?"

I smiled. Sometimes, it was like we could read each other's minds. "Yeah, I'm going into town to shop today after school, so I'll find something. Oh, and Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Go for it. I know she care for you, too. Just don't hurt her, alright?"

I could almost see his smile. "Never", he said, and ended the call.

XXX

After school, Jem drove me to the town. "So", he said, "I thought that before we go to the bookstore, we could go to a café, or something. I mean, if you want. Or we could go to the bookstore now and …"

"That sounds great", I said, before he could change his mind. He wanted to spend more time with me? I certainly wouldn't complain. Question was, why? Did he care about me – like Luke did for Ally? Or did he just want to be friends? Did he feel obligated to help me because of Nate? He hadn't offered to help until after I told him about Nate. But then again, I hadn't told him why I was in town until after I'd told him about Nate.

I sighed. It was all very confusing. I'd never cared about a boy before, except as friends or family. I was scared that I wanted more than that with Jem, and I didn't know what to do.

Jem looked curiously at me. "Tessa? What is it?"

I blinked. "Oh, nothing", I said. "Just thinking. "

"About what?"

I shrugged. "Just the usual. Homework, new books, a bit more homework."

That wasn't a lie. I did think about homework and books. I always did. It just wasn't the main thing I was thinking about anymore. That always was Jem or Will nowadays.

Will. I couldn't think of him right now. I didn't want to think about him. I couldn't deny that what I felt for Will was beyond mere feelings of friendship, still he was infuriating, and I wanted to strangle him most of the time. He always said those hateful things, things to make people hate him, still I couldn't. I didn't understand what it was about him, but he completely made me lose my balance.

Jem, on the other hand, was always nice to me, and always seemed to understand when I need support and when I needed to be left alone. He made me feel safe, something I hadn't felt since my parents died. My feelings for him weren't just feelings of friendship, either. He helped me, and he was always there when I needed a friend.

_A friend_. The word taunted me. I didn't want a friend. Sure, friends were a beautiful thing, but thinking about either Jem or Will as friends made me want to cry. Though Will's actions said he couldn't care less about me, his words told me differently. His questions about my health, physically and mentally, said that he did care. And Jem, Jem did seem to care, always as nice to me, but he showed no intentions of something other than friendship.

"Tessa? Hello? Are you there?"

I jumped. "Oh, sorry, just … lost in thought. Sorry."

"I wondered where you want to go?" said Jem.

I blushed deeply. "It doesn't matter. I don't know any places anyway, so you pick someplace."

We ended up in a small, empty café somewhere. I ordered tea and a cookie after making sure there was no chocolate in it.

"What, you don't like chocolate?" said Jem, smiling.

"No", I said. "I hate chocolate."

"I thought everyone liked chocolate?"

"Everyone but me", I said.

"So, you don't like London very much?" Jem asked when we found a table.

I shrugged. "It's okay", I said. "It's just not New York."

"You miss it there?"

I had to think that through for a moment. "Yes", I said finally. "Sometimes I do. Sometimes, when I'm sad or nostalgic, I miss it so much. My friends—my friends were really great, and I miss them every day. But I don't hate London. I've friends here, now, and except for the weather, it's okay. It can just never replace New York. It's where I grew up, where my family lived. It's where all my memories are." I was quiet for a while. "But I think it was a good thing, in a way, that we moved here. I'm not sure I could've done anything in NY without thinking of my parents. Everywhere in New York, there are things connected to my parents. So, yes, I miss it, but not as much as I thought I would. I can see the good things in it now."

Jem smiled sadly. "Yeah, I get that. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your parents? You never talk about them."

"They were out on a date, for the first time in forever, all happy and teenage-y again. It was actually weird watching them. I was at a friend's house, and when we were about to sleep, I got a phone call from Nate. He told me to go to the hospital immediately. I was already half-asleep, so I nodded and roused Natalie's mother. She drove me there, worried and all, but I couldn't tell her what was going on. I had no idea myself. I met Nate in the entrance. He looked like he'd been crying, which scared me. He told me what'd happened, and that my parents died on the way to the hospital.

"I don't remember much after that, not until I came to London. I know I stayed with my friends when Nate leaved, and I remember the funeral, but not much else. It was like everything happened in a blur. And then I was here."

"I'm sorry", said Jem.

We were quiet for a while, thinking things through.

When we were finished, Jem paid – under my protest – and we went to the bookstore. When I saw where it was, I sighed. "Okay, this is unfair", I complained. "It doesn't even resemble a bookstore! How was I supposed to know I was standing beside it all along?"

Jem laughed. "Maybe they just look different in London", he said.

"A bookstore should look the same everywhere in the world. Think about the poor tourists. How are they supposed to find a bookstore if it doesn't even look like one?" I was not going to drop that. I might even drop charges against the owner of the store for not showing newcomers it is a bookstore.

"Read the sign, Tessa", said Jem.

And I did. Oh, well, there goes that idea. I couldn't drop charges if the sign said "Foyle's Books". "Still", I said, unwilling to drop it just yet. "It could be bigger. Fancier."

Jem raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't books be all about simplicity?"

I sighed. I'd said that at lunch today. "Okay. You got me. I'm still mad, though."

Jem smiled. "When we get back to the house, I'll show you what I do when I get really mad at Will, okay?"

"You get mad at him?" Wow, I'd thought they were like never angry with each other. They always seemed so … I don't know. And, Jem always seemed generally saint-like, so …

Jem laughed again. "Sometimes I want to strangle him."

"How on earth do you prevent yourself?"

He smiled. "I'll show you when we get back. Now you have an errand."

"Yes, indeed."

Despite the not-so-fancy sign, it was not a bad bookstore. It was actually like entering heaven. "Oh my God", I said. "I must be dreaming."

I found my way to the classics first, even though I was going to buy a gift for Ally. After realizing there wasn't anything fun in that section, I moved to my almost-favorite genre. Fantasy-romance stuff.

I found a few interesting books, and then I could finally go look for a gift for Ally. I looked a long time for the right one, but when I saw it, I knew that was what I was buying her. It had "Ally" written all over it.

I paid the books and then we went back to the house. As he said he would, he showed me what he did when he wanted to strangle Will.

To my essential shock he led me outside. We kept walking and talking about nothing and everything until we arrived at what I guessed was …

"Blackfriars Bridge", said Jem. "It's very crowded here at day, but now, later, it's nice."

We stood for a while, just looking out at the water. Jem was the first to speak, and when he did so, it was in a gentle voice. "I am sorry about everything you had to go through when moving here", he said. "No one should have to go through that, especially alone. But you are not alone, Tessa. You have friends here, too, and I believe that you moving here is not such a bad thing. If you hadn't moved, for instance, we wouldn't have met, and I'm happy to have met and gotten to know you."

I smiled ruefully. "I'm starting to realize as much", I said. "So much has changed since I moved here, because I moved here, but I'm starting to think that maybe change doesn't have to be such a bad thing. Maybe it could become something good in time." I was so caught up on everything that I didn't notice when Jem moved towards me until his arm touched mine. I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Well, if you need a friend, I'm here", he said, and I almost started crying when I jerked away.

That word again. I didn't want a friend. At least, I didn't want Jem as a friend.

"Maybe we should get back", I said quietly, hoping he wouldn't catch the tremor, the feelings, behind those words. "It's getting late, and I need to … I need to do things."

It was all I could do to not cry, but it was the last thing I needed. I didn't need Jem to feel sorry for me, obligated to help because I was a hopeless, sad case and would break.

We didn't say much on the way back, and when we were there, I hurried to my room without another word. I was afraid I was going to cry.

I didn't cry. I read, and I read a lot. When there was a soft knock on the door, I didn't answer. If it was Jem, I couldn't take seeing him yet.

It wasn't Jem. It was Will, and he looked very different. He didn't look quite as unreachable, maybe even a little bit vulnerable. No, not vulnerable. Something else, something I couldn't quite put my finger to.

"Tess", he said. "Can we talk?"

I put down the book and sat up. "What's up?"

"I know I might not seem trustworthy to you – or to anyone –but you do know you can trust me, right?"

I understood this was about what everything he said was about – why I was living here, and not with my brother.

I sighed. I don't know what did it, if it was the hurt I felt, the heartbreak, or of it was the change in Will, but somehow I broke. "You want to know why I stay here?" I said. And told him. Everything.

Will didn't interrupt me once, and he didn't say anything in a while. "I'm sorry", he said.

I blinked up at him. He seemed honest. What had changed? "Will …"

"I am sorry that you had to go through that, and I am sorry for pushing you about it. I should have just let it go." He leaned forward, toward me, and I tensed. When there was only millimeters left between us, when we were so close I could feel the tension in him, he sighed almost against my lips. It sent shivers through me. And he whispered, "I really shouldn't do this." And then he gently pressed his lips against mine.

My eyes closed, and as if of their own initiative, my arms snaked around his neck, my fingers sifting through his hair. His answer was immediate and shocking; he put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, and I couldn't think straight. All I could think of was Will's lips pressing against mine, Will pulling me close, holding me tight, as if he were afraid I would disappear.

Then the kiss changed, became passionate and intense, and I gasped against his lips, shocked about the intensity, but not caring. I loved the feeling of his lips, the faint taste of mint and something else.

His hands moved to the hem of my shirt, and it took every ounce of self-control for me to pull away. "Will", I murmured, hating that my voice shook.

Will looked at me dazedly for a moment, and then he understood. He dropped my shirt, but he didn't release me. I didn't mind a bit.

"I'm sorry", he said. "I'm sorry, Tess …"

I shook my head quietly. "Don't", I whispered. "Don't say that …" And then we were kissing again.

This time, it was slower, gentle. It almost shattered me. My heart, which had seemed to be broken to pieces, seemed to fit back together, like a puzzle. I was becoming undone under his touch, and I didn't care. I never wanted it to stop.

Charlotte called that it was dinner, and with a lot of effort, we managed to break away from each other, breathing heavily, and I was flushed.

"Oh my God", I said, not sure how to react upon this.

Will grinned, but without his usual arrogance. He looked almost happy, peaceful …

"You've got no idea how long I've wanted to do that", he said.

And maybe I didn't, but I knew I'd wanted that as much as he did, and I'm pretty sure he noticed. Right then, I didn't even care that there was no way he cared about me that way, that this couldn't mean anything to him. I was happy. Because those moments when we'd kissed, I'd forgotten everything about Nate and my parents and me moving to London. It had been just us.

Easy.

**You guys didn't tell me how you preferred it, so I made up my mind. We'll start out with some Wessa, and then we'll see what happens.**

**So, I might not be great with Wessa-ing, but I did my best. I hope you liked it.**

**What do you guys think will happen? Will there be more Wessa? Will it be public? What will happen?**

**- MHC**


	6. Chapter 6

**My answers on reviews:**

**Wolfblaze1123: Yes, I'm going to continue this as long as I still have ideas. I hope to be able to finish it, but since it's my first Fanfic, I don't know. I'm trying to post once a week, mostly on weekends, but school's keeping me busy, so just keep waiting and I'll post as soon as I possibly can!**

**The-Finale-Hope: I'm glad you liked it. It will definitely be more Wessa, but also Jessa.**

**ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh: Hope I got the right number of "H"'s. I'm posting once a week, as far as I can, probably on weekends, so be patient. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I'll keep dreaming.**

Chapter 6

It wasn't easy. Easy was just an illusion. With Will, things would never be easy.

Breakfast the following morning; a very awkward thing. Charlotte and Henry had left early, so it was just me, Will and Jem. Even after what had happened between me and Will, which had started to put the pieces of my heart back together, I was still hurt, and I could barely look him in the eye.

Will was happy, but he didn't tell anyone why, and even though he shot me meaningful glances every once in a while, he didn't say anything.

I didn't help, either. I was confused and a teeny tiny bit shocked and scared, and even if they did try to talk to me, it probably wouldn't have worked. I was way too distracted to talk.

"You seem remarkably happy today, William", Jem said.

Will noticed the question hidden in those words. "It's a sunny day", he said.

I and Jem automatically looked up at the sky. He was right, actually. It was bright and sunny outside, for the first time since I'd arrived in London. Hallelujah!

Problem was I was too distracted to celebrate the rare occasion.

"Are you alright, Tessa?" asked Will. "You seem unusually sad this morning."

I blinked up at him in surprise. It was the first thing he'd said to me all morning. "I just have a headache. Didn't sleep to well tonight."

There were two – or maybe three – reasons for that. The first was that I had been busy thinking about Will. The second was that I'd been busy thinking about Jem. The third was that I'd been bothered by the neighbors – my brother. It appeared that he had invited his friends over and thrown a party. I just hoped the others had been asleep enough not to notice.

"Oh", said Will. "Is there something I can help with?" He winked.

I quickly looked away and blushed deeply. "No, it's quite alright", I told the pavement and hugged my coat closer around me. It was sunny, but sunny didn't mean warm. It was windy, and I was freezing before going out. I was shivering from cold by now.

"So, what are you doing this weekend?" Will wanted to know.

I shrugged. "I don't know", I said. "Nothing particular. Why?"

"No reason."

When we arrived at school, I hurried to catch up with my friends – I didn't know whether or not to refer to Jem and Will as my friends.

"What's up with you today?" said Sophie. "You look weird."

I nodded. "Yeah, I kind of need to talk to you. In private. Later." I paused. "If you promise not to freak out or judge me or tell anyone."

Sophie looked stunned. "It must be really bad if you really believe we'll judge you or tell anyone", she said.

I looked at her blandly.

"Fine", said Clary. "We won't tell anyone. Your life seems pretty messed up, you know that?"

"Messed-up is my second name. Well, that, and "Complicated"."

Magnus snorted.

Thankfully, we all had a break at the same time, right before lunch, long enough for me to grab them and drag them away from everyone else. "Okay, if any of you tell anyone about this, including your pets, I'm going to strangle you slowly. Right, so yesterday, I went to town with Jem, and he helped me find a bookstore – I needed to find a gift for my friend. Then when we were done, he took me to the Blackfriars bridge, and we talked, and stuff.

"After that, I spent most day reading, except for a few minutes – or hours, I really don't know – when Will decided to join me. I was … I was hurt, and tired, and I finally gave up and told him about Nate." I paused, trying to make sense of this. I was starting to sound hysterical, and if I didn't calm down they wouldn't understand a word of what I said.

"Then he, uh, he kind of … kissed me?" It sounded like a question.

Their reactions would've been funny if it weren't that I was already panicking. Simon's mouth dropped open and nearly touched the ground, Clary looked about to faint, same as Sophie, but she looked worried, too, and Magnus's eyebrows rose – high. Basically touching the ceiling.

"Are you serious?" said Clary. "He kissed you?"

"Will Herondale kissed you?" said Simon.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" said Sophie.

Magnus was the only one who kept his calm. "Honestly?" he said. "Are you all blind? Haven't you noticed the way he looks at her? I thought it was pretty obvious."

"The way he—" Sophie broke off. "He looks at her?!"

Magnus rolled his eyes, clearly entertained. "Yes, and he's not very discreet about it either. I'm surprised nothing's happened before yesterday."

"Are you coming, Tess?" said a voice from behind me. I spun around and blinked up at Will.

"What?" I said with large eyes.

Will laughed softly. "It's lunch. Are you coming? Or were you thinking of skipping lunch, maybe even class, and do something fun …?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I didn't miss the suggesting tone. Was he flirting? "Uh, yeah, I'm coming", I stammered, blushing deeply.

Will laughed again, his breath stirring my hair – yes, he was that close – and turned around. "I'll save you a seat", he said over his shoulder and walked off.

I could only stare after him. When I finally turned back to my friends, they all stared at me.

"I get what you're saying, Magnus", said Simon. "What in heaven was that?"

I was very quiet the rest of the day. I was frozen, and really regretted not wearing something warmer. I barely ate anything at lunch, worrying my friends.

When school was finally over, I nearly collapsed on the parking lot, on my way back home.

Will grabbed my wrist and forced me into a car. I didn't know whose car it was – it certainly wasn't his, he had walked to school – but I was too tired to care or do resistance.

"What's going on?" Will said.

I stifled a yawn. "Just tired, that's all", I said, and shuddered. "Can you turn on the heat? It's freezing here."

Will looked funny at me. "It's not freezing, Tess", he said, frowning. "It's really warm, actually." He looked worried at me, and put his hand gently on my forehead. I jumped back, but he still looked shocked. "By the Angel, why didn't you tell me you have a fever?"

I blinked at him and frowned. "What? I don't … I'm fine!" My voice sounded strange, off somehow.

"No wonder you've been acting so weird all day. I've never seen you so distracted in class before."

"I'm fine", I repeated, and stifled another yawn. I dozed off before I could hear Will's response.

XXX

Will's POV

I got really worried when Tessa dozed off, and I wasn't sure if she was asleep or if she'd fainted, but when I carried her through the front door I called for Charlotte to help. I was too worried to be of any kind help at all.

I carried her upstairs, Charlotte following, and then she shooed me out. Restless, I started going to my room, but was stopped by Jem.

I sighed, but knew I couldn't just wave him off.

"What's happened?" he wondered the exact moment he reached me.

"I… It's Tess", I said, and I sounded … different. I knew why. I'd never cared, never let myself care, about anyone the way I cared about Tessa, except for Jem.

Jem looked worried, but kept his tone firm. "What about her?" he said.

"I don't know", I said, and had never felt so hopeless. "I don't think she's okay. She's been weird all day, you know how she was this morning and now …"

Jem sighed. "I'm sure she'll be okay, William. She said she hadn't been sleeping well. Maybe she's just tired."

I shook my head. "No, she has a fever, definitely. I don't know how bad, but it's bad."

"Sometimes fever is just a fever", Jem argued, but not even he could calm me down.

He sighed again. "You won't listen to me no matter what I say, will you?" I shook my head. "Well, try not to do anything stupid, at least."

I didn't do anything stupid or reckless – I went to my room and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling until Charlotte knocked on the door and said Tessa was feeling a little better and that I could see her – if I was nice, quiet and not tiring her.

I don't think I've moved to another room as fast as I did then.

I opened the door carefully, in case she'd drifted off again, and saw her pale face. Her beautiful eyes were closed, and her dark hair lay around her face like a halo. She looked asleep.

I'd never seen her look so peaceful.

Something about her made me go into the room anyway, closing the door quietly before sitting on the side of her bed. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there and watched her. It was hypnotic.

She opened her eyes. "How long are you planning on staring at me?" she said, but her voice was soft, and it held a tired edge to it.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked instead of answering.

"Since before you opened the door", she said, and tried to sit up. I gently stopped her, pulling her back down onto the pillows.

"Don't", I said. "You need to rest."

She sighed. "I'm okay", she said. "I'm just exhausted."

I stared at her. "You're not 'just exhausted', Tess. You …"

She smiled tiredly. "Yes, I have a fever. That, combined with the exhaustion …" She trailed off.

I took her hand gently, tracing circles on her palm. She tried to sit up again, and this time, I didn't stop her. "Why didn't you sleep tonight?"

She blushed and looked away. I wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek, wanted to make her look at me, wanted to look into those beautiful eyes and tell her not to be embarrassed.

Then I understood. I knew her reactions well enough to know why she'd be embarrassed, and then the way she reacted that morning helped me put two and two together.

"Is it because of me?" I asked.

She turned her head suddenly, eyes wide. "How … how did you know?" she said, her cheeks a pretty pink, her eyes wide and shocked.

I smiled at her. "The way you reacted this morning, and then the way you reacted when I asked you now." I sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't've …" I stopped, unsure of how to finish that sentence. "It wasn't nice of me, putting you in that position…"

"What position?" she interrupted, her tone suddenly cold, but behind that I could hear the hurt hiding. But why would she be hurt? She took a deep breath, and for a moment she looked sad, younger. Then her expression hardened, and the words she said shattered my heart. "I'm not a girl you can just play with, Will. I don't want 'fun'. You can't just go around kissing me, and flirting with me, because I know that it … that it doesn't mean anything to you."

She tried to pull her hand free, but I was stronger than her, especially now, when she was not well. I gently pulled her hand toward me, but she wasn't expecting it, and fell towards me. And I kissed her.

At first, I could feel her body turning rigid, shocked by the kiss – I was shocked, too – but when I let my hand that wasn't still holding hers slide up her spine, to rest against her neck, keeping her gently but firmly in place, she relaxed, and kissed me back.

I released her hand, and let my own move up her arm, then down her spine, pressing against the small of her back. My other hand tangled in her hair.

She gasped, and I took the opportunity to gently open her mouth with mine. I kept my hands on a safe distance from the hem of her shirt this time, knowing she was not willing to go that far – not now, not with me.

I trailed kisses down her jaw, to her neck and collarbone, and felt her shiver under my touch. I wanted—God I wanted, but I couldn't – I wouldn't.

I pulled away, my hand still in her hair, reluctant to let go of her yet.

She stared at me with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open.

"I don't want to play with you, Tess", I said, and her eyes widened even more. "And it does mean something to me. It – this – means everything."

She closed her mouth, then opened it, then closed it again, speechless.

I climbed into the bed, pulled the covers tightly around us, making sure she wasn't cold, and put her head gently against my chest. I felt her starting to relax a little. "Sleep, Tess", I said. "I won't go anywhere." And it was true. I was right where I wanted to be, where I needed to be, and I wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.

**I know it was really much Wessa in this chapter too, and very little Jessa, but all you Jessa fans out there, be patient. It will be Jessa.**

**And to the Wessa fans, sorry that my Wessa-ing sucks. Obviously, Cassie is much better at it than I am, and her work will always be better than this. Also, what do you think about Will's POV? Was it any good?**

**I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing this, and I'll update soon again.**

**- MHC**


	7. Chapter 7

**The-Finale-Hope: Wow, that means my story is okay at least, I hope. Thank you!**

**This chapter is not my best chapter, and it's very short, and I'm sorry for that, but I'm a little out of ideas for the moment. I'll try to make it up for you in the next chapter.**

**There will also be a new POV in this chapter, and it will probably be just this once.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMI or TID.**

Chapter 7

I spent the weekend sleeping most of the time, and when I didn't sleep, Will took care of me, believe it or not. I was shocked when he didn't leave the house once, for all I know, just to make sure I was fine. He was the only thing that made my weekend at least okay.

By Monday, I was feeling better, and was ready to finally leave the house again.

Will didn't agree. "Are you sure you're fine? You should stay home today, just to make sure."

"I'm fine, Will – I mean it. I'm great, actually. There is no reason for me to stay home today. Really. I'm fine." I don't know how many times I'd told him that already. He'd started the night before, telling me I wasn't okay just yet and should stay in bed for at least another day, and when I came down for breakfast he'd started again. I didn't know if I should be touched that he cared or if I should strangle him for it.

When we walked to school, I was nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect from Will – last time we'd kissed, he'd pretended nothing'd happened, but this time was different. He'd taken care of me the whole weekend, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. You never knew about Will.

I wasn't sure how he'd act until we entered school, like usual, and like usual, I started off towards my friends, but Will stopped me by grabbing my hand, and before I knew it, he kissed me. It was just a quick one, but it was still enough for me to half freak out. When I met up my friends, I couldn't help but smile happily. Especially when I saw their faces.

"Hello", I said. "What are you staring at? You should be careful, it looks like your eyes may pop out."

Magnus was the first one to recover from the shock. "You're explaining everything after school today."

I smiled. "Sure", I said, before hurrying to class with Sophie.

"Are you mad?" she whispered when we were supposed to be reading. "You're mad. And what's going on between you and Will? I thought it was nothing!"

"You'll have to wait until this afternoon", I told her. "Right now, we have to read."

Her eyes flicked briefly to the book before her, then back to me. "No. You're telling me right now, because otherwise I'm going to go ask Will instead, and I think you might find that embarrassing. Not to mention the total awkwardness of me speaking to Will, but I'll do it, I swear."

I sighed. "Alright, fine", I muttered. "Long story short, I was sick, we kissed again, and Will spent the whole weekend looking after me."

Sophie's jaw nearly touched the floor.

"Now read", I said. "You'll get a more detailed version after school."

XXX

The lunch was a very different experience. I was still not sure what to think about Will's earlier performance, and expected a pretty normal lunch. He couldn't have changed so much over the weekend, I thought.

I was wrong. He sat beside me, held my hand, and everyone in the room stared at us.

But that wasn't the only new thing I noticed. Clary had taken a seat beside Jace – or, he had taken a seat beside her, since we came there before they did – and he flirted with her more than I'd ever seen him flirt with anyone. Clary didn't seem to know how to react.

Another thing I noticed was the very secret looks that Magnus and Alec exchanged. I was definitely going to ask Magnus about that later.

Sophie blushed every time she looked at Gideon, and quickly looked away. It was weird. And Simon acted weird too. Apparently, it was a day of change.

"So, what did you do this weekend?" Jace asked Clary. Clary looked slightly shocked and looked at us for help. I just smiled, because I didn't know how to help her.

"Uhm", she stammered, "nothing much, really. Mostly homework."

To everyone's shock, Jace didn't even come with a smart-ass retort. He just nodded and said, "I don't get the math homework. Maybe you could help me?"

Clary blinked at him. "Uh, yeah, sure", she said, and then looked at me again. I shrugged.

I caught Magnus staring intently on Alec, and elbowed him. He looked at me sheepishly.

Gideon whispered something to Gabriel that I didn't catch, and I saw Sophie look at him, then glance away. I caught her eye and gave her an encouraging smile, but she just shook her head at me.

"Are you okay?" Will whispered in my ear, and I jumped.

"Yeah, fine", I said.

"You look stressed", he said.

I felt stressed. How hadn't I noticed my friends' weird behavior earlier? I'd been so caught up in my own problems that I hadn't even noticed theirs. I felt like an idiot for missing it.

So after school instead of giving them a long story of my weekend, I asked them about the lunch.

I started with Clary. "What's up with you and Jace?"

She tried to look innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about", she said.

"Yeah, you do", I said. "I've told you everything about me and Will, and my otherwise complicated life, so now it's your turn. That means all of you."

Clary sighed. "I don't know", she said. "He's just … acting weird, and today in math class, he sat beside me and talked to me all the time. I didn't get any work done at all. I don't get him."

Sophie made a strangled sound. It seemed she didn't like the Herondale boys.

"Yeah, I don't get Will either", I said. "They're just confusing. Try to ignore it." I paused. "But not _him_. Just the confusing stuff." Then I turned to Magnus. "What's going on between you and Alec?" I asked.

Simon choked on his water. "You and _Alec_?"

Magnus shrugged. "Nothing. He won't acknowledge me, so that's that."

I sighed. "He's an idiot. But I totally ship you two, so don't give up, please." Then it was Simon's turn. "You just acted weird all lunch, and my guess is it has something to do with Isabelle."

"It's nothing between us, honestly", Simon said. "She doesn't know I exist, anyway."

I sighed. It was hopeless hoping my friends would get in a relationship. Though I was a lot like them, so maybe I didn't have a right to say anything.

"Sophie", I said. "You and Gideon."

She said basically the same thing Simon had. "He doesn't care about me. It's nothing."

That's when I decided I had to do something about their disastrous social skills. "I know what to do. We'll watch a movie!"

"How will that solve anything?" asked Clary.

"We'll invite them all over here to watch a very sad movie. It brings everyone closer!"

"Where will you find that very sad movie?" asked Magnus.

"My house. I have the saddest movie of all times", I said. "Your job will be inviting them over. Sophie, you can fix tissues, because trust me, we'll need them. Simon and Clary, you can fix snacks, and I'll bring a movie. Is that okay with everyone?"

XXX

The movie night was at Friday. Everyone was coming, and I was sure my plan would work, as long as everyone sat on the right spot. The only unpredictable was Magnus and Alec, and Simon and Isabelle. I hoped it would work out anyway.

I had chosen _The Fault in our Stars_, one of my personal favorites. I always cried while watching it, which was what made it perfect. I loved it.

So after school, Clary, Magnus, Simon, Sophie and I went to Magnus apartment to fix everything. I placed tissues strategically everywhere, Magnus made sure the place looked good, Clary and Simon fixed snacks, and Sophie helped me with the tissues. When it was getting later, I was starting to get a little nervous.

Will and Jem were the first ones to arrive. I hadn't really recognized Will that week – he'd been completely changed.

Then Jace and Alec and Isabelle arrived, and shortly after Gabriel, Gideon and Cecily arrived. Everyone was there and the movie night could finally begin.

At first, it didn't go as planned, but eventually some small things happened. Jace put his arm around Clary's shoulders, and I think he tried to comfort her when Augustus died. Everyone cried and needed comforting when he died, which was the reason I'd picked that movie.

It was the same with Gideon and Sophie, but a little more discreet. I don't know about Simon and Isabelle, because I was too caught up in the movie, and Magnus and Alec was standing very still at the moment. It seemed Alec was very stubborn. It would take a lot more than a sad movie to get them anywhere.

When the movie was over, I went home with Will and Jem and then went to bed. It had been a good, but exhausting night.

XXX

Clary's POV

I was shocked when Jace offered to give me a ride home, but I didn't say no. First of all, I didn't want to walk. Second of all, I didn't actually want to say no.

We were quiet the whole ride to my house, and it was very awkward. When we were there, he followed me to the door, surprising me again.

"Okay, uh, thank you for the ride", I said awkwardly, and started to turn to the door, but was stopped when Jace kissed me.

At first I was too shocked to do anything, but then my brain registered what was happening, and I started kissing him back. I had to stand on my tiptoes, because he was a lot taller than me, and I put my arms around his neck and didn't think at all for a few moments.

Jace was the first to pull away. His eyes shone a color I'd never seen before. "Goodnight, Clary", he said, and leaved me alone.

**I know, I know, it's a really bad chapter! I'm so sorry, I'll make it better next time, I promise! It's late, and I can't think properly, so it's bad. **

**Anyway, what did you think of the Clace? It will be more focus on Wessa and Jessa, but there will be a little other ships too. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**- MHC**


	8. Chapter 8

**The-Finale-Hope: I LOVE HERONDALES TOO! Anyway, thank you, I hope you'll like this chapter too.**

**Everyone! Sorry for the last chapter, I was in a hurry, and I know it was bad. This one is definitely better. And Tessa will get to know Will better. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

Chapter 8

It went another week, and my life seemed easier. Will was acting nice – as nice as Will ever acted –, and everything else seemed to get together pretty well.

Until I found my brother waiting for me outside school. I had plans to do something with Sophie and Clary – just us girls – but Nate saw me, and I had to talk to him. It would seem very weird for me to avoid my brother.

"Tessa!" said Nate happily. "I'm so glad I found you. I've missed you at home." I couldn't help but wonder if he'd at all noticed that I wasn't there at all anymore, or if he said so because he'd been gone so much that we wouldn't've met much anyway.

"Hi Nate", I said. "Look, I have things I have to—"

He didn't let me finish. "Yes, I know you don't want to talk to me right now. I get it. I've been an idiot lately. I understand that you want to go on and live your new life, but please just let me finish?"

I sighed, but nodded.

"I know I haven't been a good brother, and I'm sorry about that. I just wanted you to know that I'm trying to change, but I … Never mind. I don't blame you for leaving. I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry, and give you this." He handed me an envelope.

"What—" I said, but he interrupted me again.

"See it as a 'sorry for being an idiot'-gift", he said. "And I am. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you." He gave a sad smile, then he walked away, just like that.

I didn't open the envelope until later that day, when I was home again, after my day with Sophie and Clary. I opened the envelope with shaking hands, and when I saw what was in it, I had to blink several times before I could believe it was real.

And then my eyes filled with tears – for the first time in a very long time it was happy tears.

Then I called Ally, only to decide against it, and hung up before she had a chance to answer. Then I called Sophie instead.

"Hello?" she said.

"Sophie", I said, and I think my voice shocked her. I don't think I'd ever sounded so happy.

"What's happened?" she said immediately.

I could barely contain my excitement. "I'm going to New York!" I said – or, more like yelled. "Nate gave me a plane-ticket to New York, so I can visit my friends and celebrate Ally's birthday!" I nearly jumped up and down on the bed. "I mean, I'll miss everyone here, of course, but it's only for a few days, and I can meet everyone again …" I paused to take a deep breath. "And I probably sound hysterical right now", I finished. "Sorry."

"No, it's alright", said Sophie. "So, you're going to visit your friends at her birthday, and be gone for a few days? That sounds great. And you said your brother gave you the plane-ticket? That's even better. I'm really happy for you, Tessa. Don't worry about us; we'll survive a few days without you, I hope. Otherwise there is cellphones."

My eyes filled with tears once again. I was lucky to have such great friends, both in London and New York.

"Thanks, Sophie. You're a really good friend", I said, and I really meant it.

"You're _crying_?" Sophie said incredulously. "Why are you crying? Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, everything's great, Sophie", I said. "Really. I'm crying because I'm happy."

"Oh", Sophie said. "Well, that's good. When are you leaving?"

"On Thursday", I said. "I'll come back on Sunday."

The door opened, and Will entered. "I thought I heard I noise", he said. "Coming from in here."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sophie", I said, and ended the call.

"You look very different", said Will. "Did I miss something?"

I smiled. "I'm going to New York to see my friends", I said. "Nate gave me plane-tickets."

Will looked surprised. "He did? When did you meet him?"

"After school today", I said. "He was waiting for me, to give it to me."

"Wow", said Will. "That's great. When are you leaving?"

"On Thursday", I said. "I'll only be there over the weekend."

"When on Thursday?" asked Will.

"Uh, 5:10 pm", I said.

XXX

Thursday came fast, and at 5 pm I was on the airport, waiting to board. I found my seat, beside a boy that was already busy reading. There was something very familiar with him. When I saw what book it was, I smiled and sat down. The boy looked up, and I suddenly realized why he'd seemed so familiar. "Will? What are you doing here?"

Will smiled at me. "I'm going with you to New York", he said.

"You are?" I said incredulously.

"Yes", he said. "I wanted to go to New York anyway."

"Oh", I said. "Why are you reading _A Tale of Two Cities_?"

"Because I like it", he said.

I stared at him. "You like _A Tale of Two Cities_?"

"Well, not the first time I read it, but then a few weeks ago, I gave it another chance, and it proved to be a lot better than I'd thought."

I couldn't drop the fact that he liked it. It was my favorite book, had always been. I loved it. I couldn't really believe that he liked it too, or would read it – or would read anything – without having to.

I didn't say anything of what I thought aloud – it seemed to be pretty insulting.

Will seemed to understand what I thought anyway. "Yes, I do read", he said with a smile. "Pretty unexpected, right?"

I didn't know how to answer that.

"Mostly old poetry, but I can read basically anything", he told me.

"Oh", I said, "uh, okay." I was still too shocked to say anything else.

Will laughed, apparently not at all insulted by my essential shock. "You're cute when you're speechless", he said, and I flushed deeply. Will leaned in, and whispered in my ear, "It's really unfortunate that we're on an airplane."

Which made me flush even more.

Will leaned back in his seat again, still smiling. "My best friend is Jem", he said, making me blink in confusion. I mean, I knew Jem was his best friend – honestly, no one could miss it – and I had no idea why he said that. "I have one sister – two, if you count Ella. Cecily is about three years younger than me, and Ella was two years older. She died years ago. I don't meet my parents very often, but Charlotte and Henry are almost like an extra pair of parents. My parents live in Wales, which is also where I lived when I was younger. I suck at cooking, and I like to read, especially old poetry. And I really, really like you."

I stared at him, my mouth hanging slightly agape.

Will looked amused. "This is where you tell me about you", he said.

"Um", I said. "My best friend is probably Natalie, I have one brother who is two years older than me. My parents died in a car-accident a few months ago, so I moved with my brother to London. When my parents told me we were moving, on my birthday, I was absolutely heartbroken. I lived in New York until about a month ago, and I love books, especially poetry, but I've probably read every poetry book you can find, so I read fiction, too, a lot, mostly fantasy-romance stuff. I hated London at first, and I still don't like the rain. And I really, really like you, too."

I hadn't ever told anyone that much about me, except for my closest friends, and flushed again.

Will leaned in again. "Want to know a secret?" he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "I really, really like it when you blush. It makes you look very cute – more than usual, that is."

We continued getting to know each other for the rest of the time, and when we arrived in New York, I could barely contain my happiness. I still hadn't told Natalie, Ally or Luke that I was coming – I was planning on surprising them on Ally's little party – it would be her, Natalie and Luke – and I was really excited. I could barely keep from jumping out of the plane.

XXX

Ally's birthday was on Friday, so at lunch the next day, I went to Ally's house – they had the day off from school, God knows why – with Will. He insisted that he had to meet my friends, and I secretly loved him even more for that.

Ally's mom opened, and when she saw me, her eyes widened, and she nearly yelled, but I quietly told her to be quiet. She let me and Will in, and then she gave me a quick hug before telling me they were on her room.

We walked through the house to Ally's room, and I knocked softly on the door, trying to make it seem like her mother.

"What is it mom?" Ally asked, sounded irritated. She probably thought she had to take care of her younger siblings – Ethan and Lily.

I opened the door slightly, and everyone looked up from what they were doing. For about two seconds, they just stared at me wide-eyes. Then they threw themselves at me, and the force got us tumbling down to the floor. I took the hardest of the fall, and grimaced at the pain, but I couldn't stop laughing with them.

"Oh my God", said Natalie. "Is this really you? Or am I imagining things?"

"It's me, Nat", I said.

"You came!" Ally yelled happily.

"And you're completely ruining your gift", I said. "I think I'm sitting on it."

Thank God it was a book, and not the camera. That would have been a disaster.

I heard a cough, definitely Will trying not to laugh at us. Apparently we were that entertaining.

Ally, Natalie and Luke's heads snapped up at the sound, and their reactions was admirable. They didn't even say anything inappropriate.

"Is that Will?" Natalie whispered in my ear. "You didn't tell us he was so hot."

I smiled and whispered back, "No, I knew you'd freak out, so I didn't mention it."

We stood up. "Hello", said Natalie, her voice very suggesting. "I'm Natalie, the best friend in the world. This is Ally and Lucas, second and third best friends in the world. You must be Will."

I blushed. That she understood who he was meant I had to had told her about him, and the thought of him knowing anything about our conversations made me want to blush even more.

Will smiled, and looked amused. "That's me", he said.

XXX

Late that night, we went back to the hotel.

"That was fun", Will said. "Your friends are really nice."

I smiled. "Yeah, they are. But weird. I'm sorry about them …"

"Don't say that", he said. "They're fun, actually."

"You sound surprised. What had you expected?" I wondered.

"Nothing, just … not that", Will said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Is that supposed to be an insult?"

Will smiled. "Not at all", he said, and then he kissed me. As always when he kissed me, my heart started razing, and I forgot that we were in a hallway on the hotel, where everyone could see us. I put my hands around his neck, while his hand slid around my back to press against the small of my back, the other one slipping into my hair.

My eyes closed, and I couldn't get enough of the taste of his lips. It took every ounce of self-control for me to pull away. "Will", I murmured against his lips, a little breathlessly. "Will, we're in a hallway. Anyone can come and see us."

Will refused to let go of me. "Then we'll move", he said, and, still without letting go of me, he led me to his room. The second he closed the door behind him, he started kissing me again. At first, they were soft, tentative, but soon they grew intense and eager. We stumbled to his bed, and his hands moved to the hem of my shirt, then paused there, waiting for permission. I let him pull off my shirt, then his, and my hands explored his muscles.

Then he pulled away slightly. "Are you sure?" he said, and I nodded, and we started kissing again, this time softer, slower.

Afterwards, I fell asleep with my head resting against his chest, his arms around me, keeping me close.

**That was that! I hope this chapter was better than the last one – I'm really sorry about the last one, again. What did you think about the Wessa?**

**Next chapter will be in New York, but the chapter after that will be back in London.**

**What did you all think? R&R, and I'll update soon!**

**- MHC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you everyone for reading this, and I'll continue with this, because I love writing it. And, wow, it's already chapter 9! I hope you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they all belong to Cassandra Clare. **

Chapter 9

"Tessa! Hurry, or we'll leave without you!"

I sighed. "I'm coming, mom!" I yelled and grabbed my purse. We were going out to eat, for the first time in forever. It was a long time since we'd had the time, with mom and dad working so much.

I sat down in the car, beside Nate. "Hi, sis", he said. "You took your time."

Dad turned in his seat. "Everyone ready?"

He sounded oddly far away, but I nodded yes. Something was off, I knew it was, but I couldn't understand what.

"Off we go", said mom, and she sounded far away, too, just like dad. I frowned, confused. What was going on?

Dad backed out from the garage. Halfway to the restaurant, the freaky feeling that something was wrong came back. I stared out the window, and I had only half a second to warn them…

XXX

I woke up with a cry and sat up in the bed, wide-eyed and shocked.

"Tessa?" said a sleepy voice, and someone sat up beside me. It took me a few moments to realize it was Will. "What happened?" he said, and he suddenly sounded wide awake. He raised a hand and touched my cheek. It wasn't until then I realized I was crying. He hugged me, and made soothing noises against my hair. "Shh, it's okay. It was just a dream. Shh."

None of us said anything in a while, until Will pulled away a little. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I took a deep breath and told him about the dream.

"Was it a memory?" Will asked when I was finished. "From the night when they …" He broke off.

I shook my head. "No", I said. "No, I was at a friend's that night, and then when we were just about to sleep, Nate called and told me to come to the hospital right away. I woke up Natalie's mom, and she drove me there. I was still half asleep, I didn't know what was going on. Nate hadn't told me anything. And then when I came there they were …" I sniffed. "They were going on a date. They had been working a lot lately, and they wanted to celebrate the moving, so they went on a date. They hadn't been on a date in years."

"I'm sorry", said Will. "I'm so sorry, Tess."

I don't know how I managed to fall asleep again after that, but I did, and I didn't dream anything else that night.

XXX

We had one more day in New York before we were going back to London, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I started standing up to get dressed, but Will grabbed my hand and pulled me back. Laughing, I tried to sit up, but Will refused to let me go. "We can't stay here all day", I said.

Will grinned. "We can try", he said.

I shook my head. "No", I said. "This is our last day in New York, and I don't want to spend it in bed." In bed with my very attractive boyfriend, admittedly, but in bed nevertheless.

Will managed to get me on my back, and hovered over me. "What could possibly be better than this?" he asked me and leaned down.

"Will …" He stopped with his lips only millimeters from mine.

"Yes?" he murmured, and I could feel his lips moving against mine. It sent shivers down my spine, and erased every coherent thought. I sighed, and that was all Will needed. His lips touched mine, a very light caress, and then he pulled away, teasing me.

By then, I'd forgotten everything about my plans for the day, and I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

Will grinned against my lips. "What were you saying about not spending the day here?" he asked.

He shouldn't have, because that reminded me of my plans, and I started to push him away to sit up. I never got long, Will managed to get me on my back in record time (how did he do that? It was unnerving.).

"Uh-uh", he said. "You're staying here." He cupped my face with his hands, caressing my cheeks, and his fingers moved down to touch my parted lips. I stifled a gasp, and Will grinned again. His fingers continued down my jaw, to my neck, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. I was breathing heavily, and he reached my collarbone. He leaned down, and kissed my collarbone, up my neck and jaw, and it took way too long before his lips finally met mine again.

XXX

When we finally got out of bed, it was already lunch time. I sighed. There was no chance we would be able to do everything before 3:15.

Well, at least, I thought and tried to see it from the bright side, we'd make it to Taki's with Natalie, Ally and Lucas.

"Taki's?" said Will when we arrived, fifteen minutes too late. My friends were already waiting for us. "What kind of place is this?"

"My favorite place in New York", I said. "And don't insult this place in front of my friends, not if you want to keep your pretty face."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Pretty? Just pretty?"

I hit him. "Shut up", I muttered.

"Well, it would be a petty to loose such a great face like mine", he said and grinned. "I'll behave. Maybe."

I sighed, but knew that was as much as I was going to get.

"You're almost twenty minutes late!" Natalie yelled at us, and then looked suspiciously between us. "What have you been doing all morning, anyway? You look like you haven't had time to fix your make-up, because you look terrible."

Oh, well. She was right. I hadn't had time to make sure the make-up looked okay. I hoped I had make-up on both eyes, at least. If I hadn't it would be very embarrassing. If I hadn't, I'd kill Will later for not telling me. I'd kill him anyway for making us late and ruining all of my plans – though I have to admit it wasn't only his fault. I could've protested more.

Who am I kidding? I couldn't've protested more, it was impossible for me to protest with him on top of me. It was very – _very_ – distracting.

"I'm sorry", I said, and shot Will a glance that would've killed him on the spot if glances could kill when I heard his strangled laugh. "Someone wasn't being … cooperative."

I blamed all of it on Will, but he just seemed amused.

"There's nothing to do about that now", said Ally. "Can we just order now, I'm starving."

So we did.

After eating, we still had some time until we had to leave, so we all went to the cinemas to watch something.

It ended up being some romantic movie. I, Ally and Natalie picked it, under the protest of the boys. But, we were three against two, and they eventually had to give in.

After protesting so much at watching the movie, Will seemed to have a very good time. He put his arm around my shoulders, and I rested my head against his shoulder, and we sat like that through the whole movie, and when it was over, he still didn't want to let go of me, so he grabbed my hand instead. I didn't complain, if it was up to me, I'd hold his hand all the time. The only con was that I had a very hard time concentrating.

Then we had to say good-bye to Natalie, Ally and Luke.

Ally was first to give me a long-lasting hug. "Good-bye, Tessa", she said. "Come visit again soon, okay? And promise to send me pictures of the others. I want to see many hot guys can go to the same school."

I laughed. "Well, many, Ally. Very many." I lowered my voice to whisper in her ear, "Good luck with Lucas." Then I released her.

Next was Luke. "It was nice meeting you again, Tessa"; he said. "Good luck in London now."

I nodded and blinked away a few tears. "Don't hurt Ally now", I whispered.

"Never", he said and smiled at me.

Then it was Natalie's turn. She hugged me close and long. "I miss you already", she said. "And call every day. I expect a daily update on the love-front." She lowered her voice. "And I know what happened between you two."

"I will", I said. "Every day." I couldn't say more without starting to cry.

XXX

"Are you okay?" Will asked on the plane.

I nodded. "Yes. It's just hard saying good-bye. I miss them so much sometimes."

"They seem like very good friends", said Will.

I smiled. "They are. They're the best friends you can imagine." I paused. "But in a way, it feels good leaving New York. It brings back so many memories of my parents. I miss New York, but I … I'm happy in London", I realized.

Will took my hand. "Well, I'm happy you left New York", he said.

I smiled. "Me too", I said.

XXX

Will's POV

I really didn't want to leave Tessa alone that evening, but she said she wanted to unpack her things and settle in, and I couldn't protest about that, though I really wanted to.

I couldn't stop thinking about what'd happened the night before – and that morning. It shouldn't've been such a big deal, so why were I … freaking out over it, so to say?

The answer was easy. Because I cared about her. I really cared about her. I might even be in love with her. And I'd do anything for her. Anything she wanted, or needed.

A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and Jem entered the room.

"Hello, William", he said. "Staring at the ceiling again, I see. I will never understand what's so exciting about staring at a ceiling."

I smiled. "Hello, James", I said and sat up in the bed.

"So, did you have a good time in New York?" Jem asked.

"Great", I said.

Jem raised his eyebrows. "You're not going to tell me what happened? Or why you're staring at the ceiling once again?"

I hesitated, but then thought, why not? He's my best friend. We tell each other everything. Why am I hesitating at all?

"We met her friends, ate at Taki's and went to the cinemas. And I'm staring at the ceiling because I'm …"

"Brooding?" Jem suggested. "I know that, but why are you brooding? Is it because of Tessa?"

I didn't hesitate this time. "Yes, it is", I said, and was quiet for a moment, wondering how to tell him. Jem didn't say anything, but let me take my time. "I … I think I'm in love with her", I finally said. Jem didn't even look surprised.

"I know", he said.

"You do?"

"I know you, William", he said. "And you wouldn't sit at anyone's table at school, you wouldn't act like you do around anyone, and you definitely wouldn't go to New York for anyone. And I'm glad you two met. It's good for you. And", he added, "she's a great girl."

I stared at the wall, suddenly far away. "Yes", I said absentmindedly. "She is, isn't she?"

After Jem left, I decided to bother Tessa. I knew she probably didn't want to be bothered, but I needed to see her, to talk to her.

I knocked on her door, and heard her muffled response. "It's open!" I opened the door. She was reading. I smiled. Of course she was reading. She seemed to turn to the books whenever she could.

She looked up from the book and smiled. "Hi, Will", she said.

I smiled automatically in response and closed the door behind me. "What are you reading?" I asked.

She put her finger between the pages and showed me the cover, which I recognized immediately.

"Hmm", I said. "How many times have you read that book?"

She blushed. "I don't know", she said. "Many." She put the book down and sat up in the bed. I sat down beside her and couldn't help but touch her red cheek with my fingers.

"Have I told you that you look very beautiful when you're blushing?" That only made her blush more, and I felt something I'd never felt before in my life – I felt butterflies in my stomach. Her blush made me satisfied – I was happy that she blushed over something I told her, though admittedly, she blushed a lot, especially because of things I told her.

I moved my hand to her hair, and my fingers knotted in her hair. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

I longed to put my arms around her and kiss her, but I didn't My hand stilled. She bit her lower lip and looked at me with big, confused eyes.

"I wanted to tell you something", I said. "And I want you to promise not to interrupt me until I'm done, or freak out, okay?" She nodded. "Good." I had to take several deep breaths before I could continue. "I'm not very good at this, so try to be patient. You are my first dream, the only dream I was ever unable to stop myself from dreaming. You are the first dream of my soul, and from that dream I hope will come all other dreams, a lifetime's worth." I paused and watched her expression go from confused to utterly shocked. I didn't give her time to say anything. "You've given me hope at last, and I'm in love with you."

She stared at me for several moments, and I started to get worried. Her eyes were filled with tears. "Tess? Did I … did I say something bad?"

"No", she said. "No, that was … that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." She kissed me softly, then pulled away. She was smiling. "And I'm in love with you too, Will", she said.

And I kissed her.

**And that was chapter 9, everybody! I hope you liked it! And for all the Jessa-shippers out there – there will be more Jessa, trust me. **

**R&R, and I'll update in a week!**

**- MHC**


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the year went by pretty quickly, and everything went back to normal. I was happy with my life. I had a wonderful boyfriend, great friends and even Nate seemed to step up a little. I was even planning on going back home soon, hopefully in the beginning of the next year. It wasn't that I didn't like living with Will's family – they were always very nice – but Nate was my brother, after all, and I missed him.

Christmas was on its way, and I planned on spending it in London with my friends, and then visit New York for a while. Everything seemed great.

"Tessa!" yelled Sophie. The Christmas break had just started, and I was on my way home.

"Hey", I said and smiled. Everyone was starting to get in a Christmas mood now.

"I want to talk to you about something before we meet with the others, is that alright?"

"Uh." I had plans with Will actually, but whatever. My friend needed me. "Alright", I said. "Just give me five seconds to tell Will."

Will wasn't happy about it, but what could he do? Force me to come with him? Right. That was so not happening.

"Okay, I'm all yours until 5:40. What did you want to talk about?"

We were sitting in Sophie's room with hot chocolate and cookies. It was really cozy in there, with the snow falling outside. Everything looked white and glowing.

"So, you know that Charlotte and Henry always have this Christmas party every year, right?" Sophie said.

I nodded. "Yes. Will invited me to it almost two months ago."

It had been a very romantic invitation, like he was inviting me to the graduation prom or something. And it was two months before the party, which I thought was unnecessary, but apparently Will didn't.

"Right. So, you know I've started seeing Gideon a little. Anyway, he asked me if I wanted to go, and I don't know … What should I say?"

"You should definitely say yes!" I said excitedly. "Why are you hesitating?"

Sophie shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure what he wants, or why he want me to come. I mean, why would he care about someone like me?"

I was quiet for a moment, carefully deciding what to say next. "I don't see why he – or anyone, really – couldn't care about you. You're a wonderful person, Sophie, so really. If you're unsure, you could try to talk to him about it. And about the party – if you don't want to go, then don't. It's your decision, and it really shouldn't matter what I say."

Sophie hugged me. "You're a great friend, you know that?"

I hugged her back. "I try", I mumbled.

We talked a bit more, until we had to go to Magnus. We were having an early Christmas together, since everyone were doing different things for Christmas

XXX

"I know what we can do!" exclaimed Magnus with a smug grin.

"No make-up, Magnus", said Clary immediately.

Magnus shook his head. "No. We are going to do something even more fun than that. We are going to scare the Herondale boys half to death."

Sophie frowned. "But how are we going to do that? They're not afraid of anything …"

"But they are", I interrupted. "They're deathly scared of ducks."

Simon choked on his tea. "Ducks?"

Clary giggled. "Yes, ducks. I have no idea why, they just are. But how are we going to do it, Magnus?"

"Well, for starters, Tessa lives in the same house as Will, and I'm sure she could get Jem to help us out …" He wiggled his eyebrows. Magnus was the only one who noticed the one thing I wasn't happy about – the thing about me and Jem not being friends anymore. I don't know why, but ever since I started dating Will, he'd stayed away from me. He was still nice, but he didn't talk to me unless necessary.

"And Jace?"

"We'll go there and convince them to let us in, and then place them in his room."

"And where will we get them?" said Simon.

"Let me worry about that", said Magnus.

"Sounds like a plan", said Sophie.

I went back home to convince Jem to help with our masterplan, while Clary went with Simon to talk to Isabelle and Alec, and Magnus and Sophie fixed the ducks.

I knocked softly on Jem's door, nervous for some reason. We hadn't really talked in months, so it felt weird knocking on his door.

He opened the door, and my heart started racing. Why, oh, why did he have to have that effect on me? I already had a boyfriend, for God's sake!

"Tessa", he said. "Can I help you with something?"

I had to take several deep breaths before I could tell him about the plan. When I was finished, he seemed to think it was a great idea, and promised to keep Will from his room for the rest of the day.

I went to call Magnus and Sophie to check if they managed to get some ducks. They needed twenty more minutes. Then I called Clary and Simon. They managed to convince Isabelle and Alec to help, and now they had access to Jace's room and Alec promised to keep him from his room.

I waited impatiently for news from Magnus and Sophie. While I sat there, with nothing to do, I couldn't help but start thinking about everything. My life had gone from easy to very complicated to better in less than a year. But better didn't mean great, and except for missing Nate and my friends from New York, I missed having Jem as a friend. Sure, I couldn't handle being friends with him back then, it was very painful, but I cared about Jem, I had to admit that, and even though what I felt for him wasn't just feelings of friendship, I realized now that it was a thousand times better to be friends, than this cold politeness. Anything was better than this.

But the fact that I still cared for Jem the way I did freaked me out, because I was dating Will, and we were doing great, and I was in love with him.

It also scared me that the last time we'd talked – really talked – I'd ended up crying in the guest room, after him telling me he was there as my friend. God, that felt like years ago. So much had happened since then, but I still was hurt by Jem, and he didn't even know it.

What he'd said that night on the bridge, that had been a lie. I believe he really meant it when he said it, but only days later, he'd started being cold toward me. He hadn't been there as a friend.

And I shouldn't care this much about how Jem treated me. I had a boyfriend – a great, sweet, romantic boyfriend who I loved – but why did I feel so torn between the two?

My phone broke me out of my thoughts. I hadn't even realized it was twenty minutes later. "Hello?" I said.

"We're coming over now with the ducks", said Sophie. "We just left some with Clary and Simon, so they should be putting them in Jace's room right now. Oh, and make sure your phone's on, because you have to film it."

"Okay, I'll be ready", I said.

A minute later, I opened the door for them. Jem and Will were off somewhere, so we could fix everything without Will finding us.

We stuffed the ducks everywhere – in the bathroom, in the closet, in the bed, everywhere. There were even one hanging from the ceiling, so when you walked into the room, if you were looking straight ahead, it was the first thing you saw.

And then we waited. Clary and Simon waited at the Lightwood's for Jace to arrive, and I, Sophie and Magnus waited in Will's room. When we heard the door open downstairs, Magnus went to hide under the bed, and Sophie behind the door. I just sat in his bed with my phone ready.

The door opened, and Will saw me on his bed, and frowned. Then he saw the duck, and started screaming things that shouldn't be mentioned.

The yelling continued until Jem burst in. "What's going on, William?" he said.

Will pointed at the duck, and then at me, and started muttering things to Jem, who barely could contain his laughter.

"This is not funny, James", Will said and pointed at him. "I know you had something to do with this. I won't forget this." Then he went to open his closet, and there were more yelling and cursing. "I will make you regret this", he muttered.

XXX

Later that night, Will decided that I had stay with him that night because I'd 1) ditched him after school, and 2) put ducks in his room. When he pulled up the covers, he was seconds away from waking up the neighborhood, but then he remembered me, and recovered. "You have to pay me back for this", he said. "Tonight."

My heart did funny things in my chest, but I played it cool – or, I tried. "Oh?" I said.

Will wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, and my heart started pounding. He leaned in, until our lips were almost touching. "Yes", he said, and I shivered all the way to my toes. And I kissed him.

The intensity of the kiss made my knees feel weak, and I was thankful of Will's arms around my waist, keeping me upright. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and played with his hair with one hand.

We somehow managed to get to the bed, Will on top of me. My hands wandered down his stomach, and then under the hem of his shirt. He broke away from me only long enough to take his shirt off, and my hands explored his stomach. He trailed kisses down my jaw, to my neck and collarbone, and I gasped. Then his lips found mine again, as he started pulling off my shirt. It got stuck in my hair, and he struggled for a moment to get the shirt out of my hair. I giggled, but stopped abruptly when he got rid of the shirt and could go back to kissing me.

His kisses did funny things with my heart, and I had to remind myself to breath. It didn't seem to come as easily anymore.

I managed to break free from the kisses long enough to whisper, "Is this enough payback?" before he interrupted me with his kisses again.

"I love you", he whispered against my lips, and I gasped, my eyes wide.

"I love you, too", I murmured.

**Chapter 10, everyone! I know that was short and everything, but I'm saving it all for the next couple chapters. I have some great ideas I just have to share with you guys!**

**Okay, next chapter will be Christmas. Tell me what you think will happen/want to happen, and I'll be back next weekend.**

**- MHC**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know I'm a little late posting this chapter, I'm sorry, but I've been sick and very busy. One of my best friends moved, so I've been spending some extra time with her, and then we went on a family vacation. Again, I'm sorry!**

**thedarkwhiteangel: Thank you! Yes, I feel bad for him too, though it will be more Jessa later on in this story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, unfortunately.**

Chapter 11

I woke up on Christmas morning by someone knocking on my door and yelling, "Wake up, Tessa! It's almost ten!"

I sat up and blinked.

"Tessa!" Will yelled, louder this time. "If you don't wake up right now I'll get a bucket with cold water!"

I stood up and opened the door. "My God, Will, I'm up, relax."

Will smiled at me. "Merry Christmas, Tessa", he said and kissed me. I don't know how long we stood there kissing, until we were interrupted by Charlotte calling, "Breakfast!"

Will pulled away, sighing, eyes glimmering. "You should really get dressed", he said, grinned, and walked away.

I hurried to dress, and met everyone else in the kitchen a few minutes later.

Henry smiled at me. "Merry Christmas", he said.

Charlotte spun around, and smiled when she saw me. "Oh, merry Christmas, Tessa", she said and gave me a quick hug.

Jem smiled, too, but it was cold and distant, and my heart started aching. "Merry Christmas", he said, avoiding my gaze.

I sighed inwardly, but tried to ignore it. I wouldn't let my complicated feelings toward Jem ruin Christmas for me. "Merry Christmas", I said and smiled back.

Will arrived to the kitchen about then, and everyone sat down for breakfast. The breakfast was spent small talking a little, and then everyone were off doing different things before the big party later.

I decided I might as well check to see if Nate was home.

I wasn't sure whether I should knock or not, but remembered that I lived there, too, so I just tried the handle. It was unlocked, so I hoped Nate was home.

"Nate?" I called, and waited for his response. At first, I didn't get an answer, and thought that maybe he had a hangover, or something, and was still in bed, but then I saw him coming down the stairs, and smile when he saw me.

"Merry Christmas, Tessie", he said and hugged me. "I didn't know you'd stop by. You should've told me, I could've made breakfast or something."

I couldn't help but smile. He definitely didn't have a hangover, those always made him cranky and irritable. "I didn't know myself until two minutes ago, and I've had breakfast already", I told him.

"Oh", said Nate. "Well, now that you're here, I have to make you something." I opened my mouth to object, but he interrupted me. "It's Christmas, Tessa", he said, his eyes begging me. "You're allowed to eat more than usual."

I started smiling again. "Okay, if you insist", I said.

"I do", Nate said and smiled back.

And for a second, it was just like every Christmas before.

"So, what are you doing for Christmas, sis?"

I blinked. "Oh, uh, well, I'm going to a party with Will tonight, but nothing much otherwise. You?"

"Nothing", he said.

XXX

A few hours before the party, Sophie came, and we got ready for it together.

"So, are you nervous about tonight?" I asked Sophie while doing her make-up.

She bit her lip nervously. "Yes", she said. "Very. I mean, I think it will be like our first date, or something."

I smiled. "Well, from what I've heard about this party, it should be a really big first date then."

"Oh, yes", said Sophie. "It's what everyone talks about before Christmas break. It's only a selective few who comes, at least from school, but it's said to be the greatest party of the year. I believe many wish to go."

"Yeah, so it seems. Do you know if Clary's coming? She said she might, but I haven't heard anything …"

"I guess we'll see at the party", said Sophie. "But I really hope she does. It would be nice to know someone except for you."

"Well, I only know you", I said.

"And Will", said Sophie. "And Jem – what happened between you two, anyway? I thought you guys were friends?"

I finished Sophie's make-up and continued to her hair. "I don't know", I said with a sigh. "We were friends – at least he said so, but then he just … stopped talking to me. He doesn't ignore me or anything, but … I don't know."

Sophie met my suddenly wet eyes in the mirror. "Do you miss him? As a friend, I mean?"

I blinked away the tears. "Yes", I said. "He was a great friend while it lasted, but I don't think I really … appreciated it until it was too late." I brushed her hair carefully.

"I'm sure it will be fine", said Sophie.

"Yeah, sure", I said, and concentrated on her hair.

Sophie noticed me feeling uncomfortable, and changed the topic. "Anyway, so how's things going with Will? You two seem very … happy." She seemed to have a hard time saying 'happy', for some reason.

"Uh, yeah", I said. "It's really great. I mean, we're totally in love, and everything, and he's very romantic, actually."

Sophie's eyes widened a little. "Oh. Wow. Well, congratulations."

"You seem hesitant?" I said.

Sophie shook her head slightly. "No, it's just … well, Will and I haven't exactly been the best of friends. I just didn't know he could be … nice, I guess, but maybe he just needed meet someone … well, someone like you. He seems nicer now, at least."

"Right. Well, I didn't know him before he met me, so I'll just trust your word on that. He really was that terrible?" Somehow, that didn't really fit up with the picture I had of him. Sure, when Sophie had told me all about the Shadowhunters on my first day, it did seem he was a player, and that he wasn't very nice, but if I thought about it, he had never been bad to me. Not really. Not even in the beginning.

"Yes", Sophie said, and I finished her hair. "He really was …" She lost her train of thought as she looked over herself in the mirror. "Wow", she said. "How did you do that?"

I laughed at her shock. "You are really pretty, Sophie", I said, and meant it. "It didn't take much, really."

"Thank you, Tessa. That is really nice of you."

We traded places, and Sophie started doing my make-up. "Okay, now you have to tell me about Gideon", I said.

Sophie blushed. "It's really not that much to tell. We've been talking a bit at school, that's all."

I raised my eyebrows. "That's it?" I said.

"Well, no. We went on a picnic a few weeks ago."

"And?"

"And nothing. We had a really good time, but nothing happened. For all I know, he could just want to be friends. Maybe he doesn't care about me. Maybe I'm just like anyone to him."

"I don't think he'd invite 'anyone' to this, Sophie", I said. "And if he really felt that way, don't you think you'd know that by now? Or do you think he'd lie to you about that?"

"No", Sophie said. "NO, I don't think he'd lie to me, but … Why would he care about me?"

"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Sophie", I said. "You're a great person, and my best friend. As I see it, he'd be crazy not to like you."

XXX

When Sophie was finished with my hair and make-up, we both got changed into our dresses and then spent a few minutes admiring each other.

Sophie had a long, silky light blue dress. Her hair was hanging free over her shoulders in curls, and her eyes looked big and great.

I was wearing a red dress that I probably never would've even tried on if it weren't for Sophie, that looked really great on me, I had to admit that, and my hair was in a cute bun with a few locks hanging free. Sophie had done an outstanding job with making me look pretty.

"I feel like Cinderella!" I said, and Sophie laughed.

"Well, yeah, it feels kind of … weird. I don't think I've ever worn anything quite like this before."

"Me neither", I said. "Maybe we should get downstairs? I think the guests will start coming soon, and it will probably take forever and a half to walk downstairs in these heels."

"Yeah, let's go."

We both walk downstairs. A few people's already arrived –Gabriel and Gideon, Clary and Jace, Alec, Isabelle and Cecily. Will and Jem weren't there yet, so I they probably were still getting ready.

Clary saw us and left the small group, looking slightly awkward. "Hey guys!" she said excitedly. "Thank God you came! They're driving me nuts over there."

"That bad?" I said and smiled.

"Well, yes!" Clary said. "Most of them just pretend I don't exist, which is really awkward and weird, and are you sure this was a good idea?"

"Nope", I said. "It could be the worst idea ever, but I don't know since I haven't been to something like this before. We'll just have to wait and see. If it's too awkward, we can just spend the evening in a faraway corner. It could be our plan B."

Clary laughed nervously. "Okay, well …" I didn't hear what she said after that, because Will and Jem came downstairs, and Will looked absolutely stunning in suit. I already knew he looked stunning – I think a females who'd seen him knew that –, even in jeans and a shirt, but the suit fitted him perfectly. I found it hard not staring.

"Tessa? Hello? Did you hear what I just said?"

I blinked and had to force my eyes to move from Will back to my friends. "Uh, sorry?" I said, blushing.

Clary laughed. "Yeah, that was my reaction, too, when Jace picked me up. I didn't quit staring until several minutes later. It was really embarrassing."

Sophie sighed. "My friends has turned into two weird teenage girls!" she exclaimed.

Will didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off me, either, and I started giggling for no apparent reason.

"Two weird, giggling teenage girls!" said Sophie. "What's wrong with you?"

Clary smiled. "Oh, nothing, just our extremely hot boyfriends in suit."

I felt two strong arms snake around my waist, and my heart started beating quickly. "Hello, Tess", Will said, and I felt his breath tickle my neck. "You look beautiful."

I smiled at my friends, and I'm pretty sure I looked just like one of the teenage girls Sophie had just described. "You don't look so bad yourself", I said and turned around.

"I know", said Will.

I snorted. "Someone's got a great confidence", I muttered, and Will grinned.

"It's part of my charm", he said, and kissed me.

Sophie sighed heavily.

XXX

Later someone started a book quiz. Someone said a quote from an old book – no YA paranormal romance or anything – and the team who guessed the book first got a point. Will and I teamed up.

"First quote", said Henry. "I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul."

"_A Tale of Two Cities_", I said at the same time as Will. That one was easy; I'd read the book more times than I can count.

"Correct", said Henry. "Next quote. "My dear little daughter," said he, "you cannot be so glad to come back as my arms and my heart will be to receive you.""

"_The Wide, Wide World_", I said, that one was easy as well.

"Correct. "Surely a pretty woman never looks prettier than when making tea.""

This one was a little trickier, and I had to think for a moment, but Will beat me to it. "_Lady Audley's Secret_."

Henry sighed. "That's also correct", he said. ""If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.""

"_Wuthering Heights_", said Clary, clearly proud of herself to beat me to it.

Henry looked relieved. "Correct. Last quote: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! - When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.""

"_Pride and Prejudice_", I said.

"Correct", said Henry. "And I think everyone knows who won."

XXX

The day after Christmas, I went to New York to celebrate Christmas with Ally, Natalie and Luke.

I spent the time on the plane reading the book Will gave me for Christmas (he gave me that and a necklace with a tiny silver heart on it), and took a cab to Ally, where we were all meeting up before grabbing lunch at Taki's.

The taxi ride felt very long because I was keen to see my friends again. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. I was still a little tired after last night. It had been a great night.

Then I heard a loud crash and everything went black.

**That's my first official cliffhanger! Sorry about that! So tell me, what do you think will happen in the next couple chapters?**

**Also, the book quiz is actually from Clockwork Princess. In the end, when Tessa goes to find Will, she says there's a competition inside (I think), and I've always wanted to know what it'd be like if they participated, so I wrote it! What did you think? Also, what did you think of the chapter?**

**- MHC**


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